New Fire Alarm Regulations Scotland
As of 1st February 2022, new regulations will come in in Scotland regarding fire alarms which will affect all homes in Scotland.
The new law stipulates all homes must have interlinked fire alarms. This means if one alarm goes off all alarms in the home will go off.
What kind of alarms need to be installed and where?
The following alarm systems must be in place by the 1st of February:
- One smoke alarm in the living room or the room you use the most
- One smoke alarm in every hallway or landing
- One heat alarm in the kitchen
All smoke and heat alarms must be mounted on the ceiling and be interlinked. The alarms should be either sealed battery or mains-wired alarms and linked by radio frequency which does not require WiFi.
Sealed battery alarms must be tamper-proof and have long-life lithium batteries which can last up to 10 years. An electrician is not required to fit these alarms.
If you opt for mains wired alarms you will require a qualified electrician to fit these and they must be replaced every 10 years.
A carbon monoxide detector is also required if you have a carbon-fuelled appliance, like a boiler, fire, heater or flue. This does not need to be linked to the fire alarms but must have a sealed battery for the duration of its lifespan.
If you live in a tenement or block of flats you do not need to have your alarms interlinked with alarms in other properties and there is no requirement for alarms to be fitted in communal hallways or stairs.
Buying your fire alarms
The Government does not have a list of approved suppliers or fitters but both types of alarms can be bought online or from a number of retailers.
The alarms you buy must meet the following standards:
Smoke alarms: BS EN14604:2005
Heat alarms: BS 5446-2:2003
Carbon monoxide detector: British Kitemark EN 50291-1
Who is responsible for complying with the new laws?
It is the responsibility of the property owner to ensure the property has interlinked fire alarms that comply with the new laws. Home owners must ensure the correct alarms are fitted in their home and landlords are responsible for installing alarms in any properties they own.
If you are privately renting a property, it is your landlord’s responsibility to comply and the new regulations are an extension of current standards that apply in the Private Rented Sector which your landlord should already be complying with. If you believe your landlord is not complying, you can apply to the first-tier tribunal.
Those who own their home as part of a shared ownership scheme responsibilities are set out in the occupancy agreement but in general it is your responsibility as the proportion owner, rather than the registered social landlord, to meet the new fire and smoke alarm standard.
Compliance with the new standards
In time, compliance with the standards will form part of the Home Report when a homeowner chooses to sell their property.
The new regulations are a minimum standard of security so local authorities will be able to use their statutory powers to require owners to carry out work on substandard housing.
However, as is the case for other elements of the Tolerable Standard, any intervention must be proportionate, rational and reasonable and where owners are unable to meet the standard, it is not a criminal offence.
More information can be found on the Scottish Government website here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/fire-and-smoke-alarms-in-scottish-homes/