Interlinked Smoke and Heat Alarms

Interlinked Smoke & Heat Alarms in Scotland: A Safety Requirement

In Scotland, it is mandatory for homes to have interlinked smoke and heat alarms. This regulation was established on February 1, 2022, to enhance home safety following the Grenfell Tower fire. The requirements are:

• Smoke alarms: Install one in the living room (or most used room), and one in every hallway and landing.
• Heat alarm: Install one in the kitchen.
• Interlinking: All alarms must be interconnected, so they all sound when one is triggered.
• Carbon monoxide detector: Required where there are carbon-fuelled appliances, but does not need to be linked to the fire alarms.

Homeowners must comply with these standards, ensuring installation within a reasonable period post-deadline..

Yes, it's imperative you make the changes before February 2022, the cost of not making the changes could be drastic.

If you have a house fire after February 2022 and your home insurer finds out you have not complied with the new law then they may refuse to payout.

It will also be a requirement to have the appropriate level of protection in place required by law when it comes to selling your property, this will be outlined in your home report when selling.

Local authorities will also have statutory powers to force compliance.

All homes will be covered by the new standard, as it is important that all homes should be safe for occupants regardless of tenure. It will be the property owner’s responsibility to meet the new standard, however, the legal duty to enforce the standard rests with local authorities. Where owners are unable to meet the standard, it is not a criminal offence.

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 was introduced in January 2019 and will ensure that everyone in Scotland has the same level of protection whether they own or rent their home.

The regulations were due to come into force in February 2021, however, in light of difficulties caused by COVID-19, we sought and the Scottish Parliament agreed to delay the implementation of this legislation for a period of 12 months to February 2022.

However, installing alarms at the earliest opportunity will provide improved fire safety in your home.

Any costs will be the responsibility of homeowners and landlords. The cost of the alarms will vary according to what you currently have in place and the alarms you choose to install. We estimate that the cost for an average three-bedroom house which requires three smoke alarms, one heat alarm and one carbon monoxide detector will be around £200. This is based on using the type of alarms that you can install by yourself without the need for an electrician.

The answer is yes. Standard alarms which are not interlinked will not be compliant with the new law, they will need to be replaced with a series of new interlined alarms to adhere to the new law.