Changes in legislation which come into affect in February 2022 will affect everyone in Scotland, whether they own or rent a home. Previous rigorous standards affected new homes and private landlords but these new regulations are designed to ensure that everyone is covered and safe. It ultimately comes down the property owner to ensure that their property is covered and at the moment, this regulation is only affecting Scotland.
There must be an interlinked fire, smoke and carbon monoxide (if there is a carbon-fuelled appliance) system throughout the property which can be interlinked either wirelessly or wired. This has been brought in after the Grenfell tragedy and was supposed to have come in last year but was delayed due to the Covid pandemic. The interlinked system means that when one alarm goes off, then the rest will go off too so will alert anyone in (and probably around) the property.
They can be traditionally wired or wireless but if you’re installing wireless alarms, then they must be fitted with tamper-proof, long life lithium batteries.
Are my current alarms safe?
You need to have mounted on the ceiling :
- A smoke alarm installed in the main living area.
- A smoke alarm on each floor of the property in the hall.
- A heat alarm in each kitchen.
- A carbon monoxide alarm if relevant.
Check if your smoke alarms are interlinked, if not you may be able to add a wireless connection. All of our alarms are interlinked and have a battery with up to 10 year lifespan.
Will someone come around to inspect them?
The govt are not inspecting premises although money has been allocated to the Fire & Rescue service to provide alarms to people at high risk from fire. There won’t be fines or prosecutions if you don’t have the alarms fitted and at this stage the govt is advising people to get the work done but it won’t be a criminal offence if you don’t.
Is it easy to get my alarm system upgraded?
If you’re unsure if your alarm system needs upgraded, check the government legislation here. It’s simple to add what you require – just get in touch and we can get it fitted for you. If you already have one of our alarm systems, we can add fire, smoke and carbon monoxide sensors to it so as well as it going off the traditional way, it will also alert you on your alarm app so if you’re not in, then you will get a notification. If you don’t have an alarm at the moment and would like one, then just get in touch and we can incorporate the whole thing.
Our alarms can incorporate smoke, fire & carbon monoxide detectors.