THE founder of the Federation of Damp has urged construction specialists to consider using their transferable skills to become trained in tackling damp and mould, as demand for specialists in this area rises following the introduction of new legislation.
Since October 6, rigid statutory deadlines to eradicate damp and mould from tenants’ homes have been imposed on landlords. Covering both social and privately rented homes in Scotland, landlords must now ensure reports of damp and mould are investigated within 10 working days. They must then provide a written report on the findings of this inspection to the tenant within three working days, with any repair work beginning within five working days of being identified.
The Investigation and Commencement of Repair (Scotland) Regulations 2026 is Scotland’s variation of the wider UK’s Awaab’s Law, which was launched after a coroner directly linked the death of an infant to prolonged, severe mould exposure in a family social housing flat.
Sam Fitzgerald, MD of Advanced Damp – a specialist property care contractor – launched the Federation of Damp in 2024 in response to concerning scenes he came across in properties. Today, the organisation has over 400 members and 650+ skilled professionals onboard.
“Every week we come across some quite bad scenes,” he revealed. “Tenants sometimes don’t understand it, so they’re closing their windows, no ventilation in the property. One thing leads to another, and it’s spread out all over the rooms and ceilings. A lot of the issues I’ve come across over the years were down to quality of work.”
Sam revealed it can be difficult to find a damp specialist, with the problem exacerbated by ‘cowboy’ workers negatively impacting the reputation of the industry.
Asked for his opinion on why it has taken so long for this legislation to come in, Sam explained that the size of the trade means it doesn’t have the same ability to apply pressure on government as, for example, the plumbing and electrician sectors do. However, recent tragedies have meant it is now unavoidable.
Welcoming the legislation, he believes it still needs to go further and look beyond just focusing on speed to ensure the root cause of the damp is stopped rather than a quick fix being applied.
“Definitely not,” Sam replied, when asked if we currently have the skilled workforce to respond in the timeframes now legislated. However, he hopes that professionals elsewhere in the construction sector will use their understanding of infrastructure to undertake additional training and capitalise on the increase in demand for damp work.
“It’s a great trade,” he continued. “A lot of people work on the tools for a long time, and they may be getting to that age where they don’t want to be so hands on – so it’s a great transition. They’ve already got the fundamentals, so can transition over and remain in the industry.”
The Federation of Damp offers a suite of online and in-person courses tailored for surveyors, contractors, housing providers, and technicians – with its core certification programmes independently City & Guilds Assured, alongside CPD-certified training.
“We’re doing a lot of bespoke training for housing associations with large groups,” Sam continued, before revealing that an increasing number of individuals are looking to upskill and potentially become self-employed. A lot of employers are also coming to us as well, so that’s something we’re building up – a recruitment model that allows companies to come to us and we match them with skilled professionals.”
