From 3rd September 2007 the Tolerable Standard within The Housing (Scotland) Act 1987 has been extended. Electrical wiring, components and fittings must be adequate and safe to use.

A Periodic Inspection Report (PIR) is an inspection of the condition of the existing electrical installation within a property. A PIR will:

• Reveal if any of your electrical circuits or equipment is overloaded
• Find any potential electrical shock risks and fire hazards in your electrical installation
• Identify any defective electrical work
• Identify any lack of earthing or bonding

As a Landlord, the law states that you have a duty of care to make sure the property electrics (fuse box, light switches, sockets, etc.) are safe to use and the only way to do this is to have a PIR test carried out. ELA (Edinburgh Landlord Accreditation) and the newly formed SLA (Scottish Landlord Accreditation) both request that we have valid PIRs for all our properties as part of their code of standards however, they both agree that, as the PIR is NOT a statutory obligation, it is the Landlord’s decision whether to carry one out or not. As an accredited agent we do strongly recommend that you have a PIR test conducted once every 3 years, which we can arrange on your behalf.

If you let property you must ensure that the electrical system and all appliances supplied are safe. Failure to comply with the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994 and The Consumer Protection Act 1987 is a criminal offence and may result in:

• A fine of £5,000 per item which does not comply
• Six months imprisonment
• Possible manslaughter charges in the event of deaths
• The Tenant may also sue you for civil damages
• Your property insurance may be invalidated

These regulations are enforced by the Health & Safety Executive. There is no statutory requirement to have annual safety checks on electrical equipment as there is with gas, but it is advisable for landlords to have periodic checks done by a qualified electrician. Therefore we require all our Landlords to have a Portable Appliance Test carried out annually.

An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) gives information on how energy efficient a building is and how it could be improved. 

You need an EPC when renting a building to a new tenant 

If you sell or rent and you do not provide an EPC, or include the building’s energy rating if advertising it, you could be fined a minimum of £500. 

The EPC shows: 

• the building’s ‘energy efficiency rating’, which gives you an idea of how much fuel bills are likely to be 
• the building’s ‘environmental impact rating’, which shows how much the building affects the environment with CO2 emissions 

Both ratings are on a scale from A to G with A being the best. You’re also given a ‘potential’ rating, which is the rating the building could reach if the suggested improvements were made. 

It’s the law in Scotland to have the EPC ‘affixed’ to the building, building standards guidance suggests in the boiler or meter cupboard. 

An EPC is valid for 10 years. When it expires you need to update an EPC for a new sale or tenancy. 

You may also want to update the EPC if you make improvements to the building. This is especially if you sell our rent the building after the improvements. This means potential buyers or tenants get the most up-to-date information. 

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 
  
  What type of smoke alarm is required in a let property? 

All alarms should be ceiling mounted and interlinked. There is also a requirement for carbon monoxide detectors to be fitted where there is a carbon-fuelled appliance (such as boilers, fires (including open fires), heaters and stoves) or a flue. 

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. 

Legionnaires’ disease is a potentially fatal form of pneumonia caused by the inhalation of small droplets of contaminated water containing Legionella. All man-made hot and cold water systems are likely to provide an environment where Legionella can grow. Where conditions are favourable (ie suitable growth temperature range; water droplets (aerosols) produced and dispersed; water stored and/or recirculated; some ‘food’ for the organism to grow such as rust, sludge, scale, biofilm etc) then the bacteria may multiply thus increasing the risk of exposure.  It is a simple fact that the organism will colonise both large and small systems so both require risks to be managed effectively. 

A simple assessment may show that there are no real risks and are being properly managed and no further action is needed.  It is important to review the assessment in case anything changes in the system. 

More information at the official link: https://www.mygov.scot/renting-your-property-out/overview/