From 2021, all residential accommodation in Scotland will have to meet specific criteria for smoke, heat and carbon monoxide detection. This new legislation will cover all homes; whether your own or a rental property.

At Westside Electrical we can advise on the best type of alarms and detectors that would suit your property and will ensure a solution to any installation.

Q: Why are you introducing this legislation now?

Following the tragic fire at Grenfell Tower in London, a Ministerial Working Group on Building and Fire Safety was established to review Scotland’s building and fire safety regulatory frameworks. This legislation will ensure that everyone in Scotland has the same level of protection whether they own or rent their home.

Q: How many alarms are required to meet the standards?

The standard requires:

• one smoke alarm installed in the room most frequently used for general daytime living purposes
• one smoke alarm in every circulation space on each storey, such as hallways and landings
• one heat alarm installed in every kitchen

All alarms should be ceiling mounted and interlinked.

Where there is a carbon-fuelled appliance (such as boilers, fires (including open fires) and heaters) or a flue, a carbon monoxide detector is also required which does not need to be linked to the fire alarms.

Q: I already have smoke alarms fitted in my home but they are not interlinked – do I need to change these to interlinked ones?

Yes – the requirement is to have all alarms interlinked. You may not hear the alarm closest to the fire but, by having an interlinked system, you will be alerted immediately.