Letting agents

Smoke, heat and carbon monoxide alarms: a checklist for Scottish letting agents

Alarm problems in a let rarely come from not knowing the rule. They come from a missing heat alarm nobody spotted at check-in, an expiry date nobody wrote down, or a tenant's "it keeps beeping" email that sat in a shared inbox. This page sets out what the law says and a routine that closes those gaps.

What the law says

The Tolerable Standard. A house meets the tolerable standard only if it "has satisfactory equipment installed for detecting, and for giving warning of, fire or suspected fire" and "has satisfactory equipment installed for detecting, and for giving warning of, carbon monoxide present in a concentration that is hazardous to health" (Housing (Scotland) Act 1987, s86(1)(j) and (k)). In applying this, "regard shall be had to any guidance issued by the Scottish Ministers" (s86(1A)).

Source: legislation.gov.uk, s86

The Repairing Standard. For private lets, the Repairing Standard requires that "the house meets the tolerable standard" (Housing (Scotland) Act 2006, s13(1)(h)). Section 13(7) also lists "equipment for detecting fire and for giving warning of fire or suspected fire" among the matters where regard is to be had to Scottish Ministers' guidance.

Source: legislation.gov.uk, s13

The Scottish Government's Repairing Standard statutory guidance explains the change:

"A requirement for fire alarms and carbon monoxide detectors was previously part of the Repairing Standard. This is now part of the Tolerable Standard and is therefore required in all tenures, including private rented housing" (Annex A, para A6).

Source: gov.scot, Annex A

On carbon monoxide, the same guidance says private landlords "must ensure that carbon monoxide (CO) detectors are fitted in all rooms where there is a fixed combustion appliance such as a boiler, fire (including open fires), heater or stove designed and installed to operate on a carbon fuel (i.e. oil, solid fuel or gas) or a flue. Appliances used solely for cooking purposes are excluded" (Annex D2, para D.50).

Source: gov.scot, Annex D2

What each home needs. gov.scot's factsheet says every home must have "one smoke alarm in the living room or the room you use most", "one smoke alarm in every hallway and landing" and "one heat alarm in the kitchen", and "All smoke and heat alarms should be attached to the ceiling and be interlinked." In an open-plan area you only need one alarm, "no more than 7.5 metres from any point in the room", and "If the area includes a kitchen, then it should be a heat alarm."

Source: gov.scot, Fire and smoke alarms: the law

For private tenants, the factsheet says the landlord "must provide interlinked fire and smoke alarms", and a tenant who thinks the home is not fire safe can apply to the First-tier Tribunal (Housing and Property Chamber). In a tenement or block of flats, alarms in different flats do not need to be linked, and alarms are not needed in communal areas.

Source: gov.scot, who is responsible

Alarm types and standards. mygov.scot lists two types: "sealed battery alarms" and "mains-wired alarms – these should be installed by a qualified electrician and replaced every 10 years". Sealed battery alarms "should use tamper-proof long-life batteries", and a battery CO alarm "must have a sealed battery for the duration of its lifespan. This can be up to 10 years." The standards to check are smoke alarms BS EN14604:2005, heat alarms BS 5446-2:2003, and CO detectors British Kitemark EN 50291-1.

Source: mygov.scot, Fire safety if you own your home

Deaf and deafblind tenants. Specialist alarms "must be fitted in addition to any smoke, heat and carbon monoxide alarms", and existing Telecare alarms should not be removed.

Source: gov.scot factsheet; gov.scot, alarms for deaf and deafblind people

At a glance

Check-in and inspection routine

This is a working routine, not a legal requirement. The law sets the standard; the routine is how your team shows it was met.

1. Map the alarms per property. List each room and whether it needs a smoke, heat or CO alarm. Note every carbon-fuelled appliance and flue (boiler, open fire, stove, non-electric heater).
2. Record each unit. For each alarm: location, type (smoke, heat or CO), power (mains-wired or sealed battery), the standard marked on it, and the expiry or replace-by date printed on the unit.
3. Test at check-in. Press-test each alarm and confirm the interlink (one sounds, all sound). Photograph each unit with its label. Note the result on the inventory, and have the tenant sign or acknowledge it.
4. Re-check at each routine inspection. Repeat the press test and interlink check, and look for missing, covered, painted-over or disconnected units.
5. Diary the expiry dates. Put each replace-by date in the property diary, with a reminder far enough ahead to get landlord approval and a contractor booked.
6. Check after any work. After a boiler swap, a new stove or flue, or a kitchen refit, re-run the map in step 1. A new appliance can mean a new CO detector.
7. Tell the tenant. Give the tenant a short note on testing alarms and on what to do if one beeps or sounds. For a suspected gas escape or CO leak, the guidance says tenants should be told to open doors and windows, shut off the gas at the meter, contact the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 if gas keeps escaping, and use a Gas Safe registered engineer for any repair (Annex D2, para D.51).

Source: gov.scot, Annex D2

For the rest of the Repairing Standard, use the Repairing Standard checklist. Gas safety checks and EICRs are covered in Gas and electrical safety records.

Handling a faulty-alarm report

A tenant report of a faulty, missing or constantly beeping alarm is a safety report, not a routine one.

• Log it the same day. Record who reported it, which alarm, and what they described (chirping, no sound on test, sounding with no cause, removed).
• Reply first, then fix. Acknowledge the report and give the next step and a time. Our repair report first-reply procedure covers the wording.
• Check what is behind it. A sounding CO detector is a gas or appliance issue first; follow the D.51 steps above and get a Gas Safe engineer. A mains-wired fault needs a qualified electrician.
• Get approval quickly. If your agency agreement needs landlord sign-off, see landlord repair approval thresholds.
• Close the loop. Record the fix, the replacement unit's details and new expiry date, and confirm with the tenant that it works.

For how quickly repairs should be done, see repair timescales.

Records to keep

• The alarm map and unit list for each property, with replace-by dates
• Check-in and inspection test results, with photos
• Each faulty-alarm report, the reply, and the fix
• Contractor invoices or job sheets for installs and replacements
• The tenant information note and when it was given

The law quoted above does not set a retention period for alarm records (needs checking with your adviser). Many agencies keep them with the tenancy file.

How Lorework helps

Lorework takes on the repetitive admin, freeing up you and your team for more important work. For alarms, that means dates, inspection results and tenant reports kept in one place, with replies and reminders drafted for your team to approve. Your team works in chat. Once staff approve them, updates go to tenants by SMS. It follows your agency's own procedures, and a member of staff approves every reply before it is sent.

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