A change in legislation for Fire and Smoke alarms comes following the fire at Grenfell Tower in London in 2017, and aims to ensure everyone in Scotland has the same level of protection whether they own or rent their home.

How and when are the rules changing?

The change applies to ALL households in Scotland and must be met by February 2022, an extension of 1 year due to the impact of the Covid 19 pandemic. The new Scottish legislation states that an interlinked Fire and Smoke alarm system must be fitted in a property and that there should be adequate Carbon Monoxide protection.

What do I need to know for my Domestic and/or letted property?

From February 2022, new standards for fire and smoke alarms in all homes in Scotland will come into force.

From this date, every home must have:

• Smoke alarms in every circulation space on each storey, such as hallways and landings
• Smoke alarms installed in the room most frequently used for general daytime living purpose
• Heat alarms installed in every kitchen
• All smoke and heat alarms should be interlinked
• Carbon monoxide alarms to befitted where there is a fuel burning appliance or a flue
• This applies to ALL homeowners and landlords

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The new rules mean the standard which currently applies to private rented property and new builds is being extended to all homes in Scotland.

It will be the responsibility of the homeowner to ensure the new safety standards are met.

What if I already have Smoke alarms?

If you already have Fire and Smoke alarms installed in your property, check that they are interlinked.

If you have an alarm system but it does not currently meet the new requirements, you can expand your system with wireless interconnection.

By having an interlinked system, the whole alarm system will be triggered if one alarm is activated meaning you are alerted immediately in the event of a fire.

What type of alarms should I get?

You can install interlinkable tamper-proof long life lithium battery alarms or mains-wired alarms.

If you need to expand your current alarm system, or if access is difficult, tamper proof long-life battery powered alarms are generally installed in place of mains powered alarms

How long do I have to comply?

The new regulations come into force in February 2022, meaning homeowners and landlords have until then to comply.

However, installing alarms at the earliest opportunity, will provide improved fire safety in Domestic and letted properties

How will compliance be checked?

Compliance with the new rules will form part of any Home Report when you come to sell your property.

As this will be a minimum standard for safe houses, local authorities will be able to use their statutory powers to require owners to carry out work on substandard housing.

Daniel Gardner Electrical Contractor provide testing and certification services to ensure your new or existing Fire Alarm System meets Scottish Government legislation.

How can Daniel Gardner Electrical Contractor help?

At Daniel Gardner Electrical Contractor our trusted team can provide advice about Fire and Smoke alarms to safeguard your home and letted properties.

As an accredited NICEIC approved installer and Scottish Building Standards approved certifier, Daniel Gardner Electrical Contractor’s work has been recognised for its quality, meeting the high standards set out in the BS7671 Industry Regulations.

Call us today on 01334 656378 or email info@dgec.co.uk to discuss how we can help.