Ignorantbliss Posted September 2, 2021 Share Posted September 2, 2021 https://www.neighbourhoodalert.co.uk/da/394890 Quote The law on fire alarms is changing. By February 2022, all homes in Scotland will be required to have interlinked fire alarms, meaning if one alarm goes off, they all go off. The Scottish legislation on interlinked fire alarms is going to be a big story up here, I reckon, as we get closer to the Feb 2022 deadline. Very few people know about it, and even fewer know how costly it will be to put in (looking at £150+ for a 3 bedroom house, if you self install). No wonder the Scottish Parliament has been pretty quiet on this (all parties apparently voted for it) as there is guaranteed to be a public backlash as its an expense many are not going to want to pay out (though the intentions behind it are are sound enough). Was discussing this with my solicitor and their personal interpretation of its effects are as following... House sellers will have to have a fully interconnected fire alarm system in place before they can sell All rented properties will need one They expect that almost all home insurance policies will require the system in place by Feb 2022, otherwise house insurance claims for fires would be invalidated (housing stock not complying with local government legislation requirements) Amusingly, the tad expensive, and supposedly trendy, Google Nest Protect system is not compliant. From Scottish Government website - "Please note: the Nest Protect System will not meet the standard. This is because they do not meet the requirements for a heat alarm under the relevant British Standard. British Standard (BS 5839-6:2019) makes it clear that only heat alarms should be installed in kitchens." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Banner Posted September 2, 2021 Share Posted September 2, 2021 Plenty of political donations from fire alarm companies then? Authority is alive and well north of the border. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pmax2020 Posted September 2, 2021 Share Posted September 2, 2021 (edited) I actually only learned of this yesterday. I hadn’t received any letters or noticed any advertisements etc. It was a friend that told me. The costs are minimal though - you can get battery operated smoke alarms that can communicate with one another for as little as £10-15. The requirements are not driven by the number of bedrooms, but rather kitchens, ‘main’ rooms you socialise in, rooms with fires, and/or top/bottom of stairs. So it’s a little subjective but most houses will just need 2 - 5 alarms which could be as little as £20 - 50. Edited September 2, 2021 by Pmax2020 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pmax2020 Posted September 2, 2021 Share Posted September 2, 2021 2 hours ago, Bruce Banner said: Plenty of political donations from fire alarm companies then? Authority is alive and well north of the border. What could be the criticism here? New builds and extensions have had robust requirements on smoke alarms for years. It makes sense to apply the same standards to existing houses surely?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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