From April 2025, Scottish social landlords face tougher reporting on damp, mould, fire safety, and electrical compliance – this article explores what the new Charter indicators mean and how social landlords can stay compliant
According to the Scottish House Condition Survey (2022), approximately 9% of Scottish homes experience some degree of damp or condensation. These issues are not just cosmetic – they have drastic implications on tenant health, safety, and housing quality.
Created under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2010, the Scottish Social Housing Charter November 2022 sets the standards that all social landlords should aim to achieve when performing their housing activities.
From April 2025, Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) report against revised Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR) Charter indicators. These changes place greater emphasis on damp and mould, fire safety, electrical compliance, and void management, requiring more detailed evidence for the Annual Return on the Charter (ARC).
Why meeting the indicators matters
The ARC data underpins SHR’s oversight of landlord performance, ensuring compliance with housing standards and safeguarding tenant wellbeing. Accurate reporting:
- Demonstrates commitment to national housing obligations
- Builds confidence among tenants and stakeholders
- Minimises risk of regulatory attention or reputational harm
Poor or incomplete data can have the opposite effect – leading to uncertainty and inaction.
The detail in the definitions
The SHR’s technical guidance sets out clear rules on what should and shouldn’t be counted in each indicator. For example, in damp and mould cases (Indicators 31, 32, and 33), the “time taken to resolve” must:
- Include pre-inspection periods and all related works to complete the repair.
- Exclude advice-only cases, works under defects liability periods, void properties, and “no access” cases.
- Exclude any “monitoring period” after the final intervention (time spent confirming whether the fix worked doesn’t count towards the resolution time).
These distinctions may seem small, but they are critical to reporting accurately. Misinterpretation can lead to incorrect ARC data, which could trigger questions from the Regulator.
Key 2025/26 indicators
- Indicator 29 – EICR
Report missed 5-year electrical inspections with accurate documentation. - Indicator 30 – Fire Safety
Record number of homes not meeting the Scottish tolerable standard for smoke/heat alarms, including installation and renewal dates. - Indicator 31 – Resolution Time (Damp/Mould)
Measure working days from report to completion, categorised by cause (condensation, structural, other). - Indicator 32 – Reopened Cases
Percentage of resolved damp/mould cases reopened in the same year, by cause. - Indicator 33 – Open Cases
Total number of unresolved cases at year-end.
Practical Steps for RSLs
- Triage cases by cause at the start: aligns with Indicators 31 & 32.
- Track all relevant dates: start, pre-inspections, completion using SHR’s definition of “working days.”
- Use environmental monitoring: humidity and temperature readings can help identify risks early and support accurate cause categorisation, as well as demonstrating whether an intervention has had the desired impact, potentially reducing the number of cases being reopened.
- Centralise records: EICR certificates, fire safety logs, and case histories in one place for easy reference.
- Review data regularly: spot patterns before they lead to reopened cases.
Given the level of detail in the inclusions/exclusions and the precision needed for each metric, trying to gather this data manually, or with inefficient software, can be time-consuming, prone to error, and stressful when the reporting deadline approaches.
Callum Chomczuk, National Director of the Chartered Institute of Housing, commented: “The new charter indicators play a critical role assuring tenants that social landlords are taking their health, safety and housing quality seriously.
“We know social landlords are already monitoring against the new indicators for the next ARC return and we applaud the work already going on across the sector to improve housing outcomes for all tenants.
“Indeed, with revised indicators on damp and mould, fire safety and electrical compliance, it is vital social landlords continue to record the correct data and give tenants the assurance they deserve.”
Moving forward
The 2025/26 reporting year is already underway. Establishing strong management and documentation practices now will make next year’s ARC return clearer and more accurate.
These indicators are designed to improve transparency and outcomes, giving landlords a clearer roadmap to safer, healthier homes.
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Image credit: JeniFoto/Shutterstock
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