The number of complaints to environmental health about damp, mould and water penetration has increased yet again in the last year.

Official figures reveal the scale of the problem with 1231 people contacting the council about issues with their landlord.

The number is a rise on the previous year, 2022, when it was 1067, two years before that, in 2020 it was 865.

READ NEXT:Damp and mould complaints to Glasgow City Council revealed

The complaints cover housing association properties and homes rented from private landlords.

Glasgow City Council does not own any homes but is the housing authority and the environmental health department deals with complaints about substandard homes on health grounds.

The information shows there were 987 complaints about water penetration last year.

There were also 244 complaints in a ‘phdamp’ category, including 217 specifically for damp and mould.

The Glasgow Times has highlighted cases in the city where tenants have been complaining to their landlord about serious damp and mould issues.

We reported on Khylie Ramsay in Pollok, who has a child with a respiratory condition, where housing workers came out and hid a chunk of mouldy plasterboard behind a panel in her bathroom.

READ NEXT: Mum outraged after mould was cut out and hidden behind panel

Alex Gordon had mould in his flat, in the south of the city, affecting his health and had been fighting to have it fixed for ten years.

Glasgow Times:

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The data was revealed by Glasgow City Council to Sean Clerkin, campaign coordinator for Scottish Tenants Organisation, under freedom of information.

He called for a change in the law to introduce time limits on making properties free of damp and mould.

Mr Clerkin, said: “The complaints made by tenants about condensation dampness and water penetration to Glasgow City Council in 2023 continues a steep upward trend in recent years meaning that private and social landlords have been letting down their tenants badly.

“They need to spend a lot more time and money solving the problems of damp and mould and must especially remove all damp and mould eradicating it from homes instead of what most of them do now which is cover it up with a lick of paint or plasterboard for mould to come back through detrimentally affecting the health of tenants and their children.

We believe it is time to introduce Awaabs Law into Scotland as the voluntary approach in Scotland is not working as in England high standards of remedial work to tight time deadlines are being introduced so that tenants and their families can live in safe and secure homes. The voluntary approach in Scotland is not fit for purpose and it is time all landlords were forced by statutory law to get rid of dampness and mould from all tenant’s homes.”