Electrical contracting in Glasgow and Renfrewshire - Highlighting the new regulations, installations and current matters to do with all aspects of Electrical contracting - Iain Jamieson Wes electrical
Certifications Landlords Need to Have in Place Before Letting Out to a Tenant in Scotland: A Detailed Guide
Introduction:
In Scotland, landlords must have certain certifications in place before letting out a property. These certifications are designed to ensure the safety and wellbeing of tenants and ensure that the property meets certain standards. This guide will discuss the various certifications that landlords need to have in place before letting a property in Scotland.
Gas Safety Certificate:
The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 require landlords to have a gas safety certificate for every gas appliance in the property. This certificate must be renewed every 12 months and must be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer. The certificate must be provided to tenants before they move into the property.
The gas safety certificate confirms that all gas appliances, including boilers, fires, and cookers, have been tested and are safe to use. Any issues identified during the inspection must be rectified before the property can be let out. This certification is crucial as gas safety is a major concern and negligence in this regard can lead to serious accidents or even fatalities.
electrician and must be renewed every 5 years or earlier if recommended by the electrician.
The EICR confirms that the electrical installation in the property is safe and meets the requirements of the Wiring Regulations. Any issues identified during the inspection must be rectified before the property can be let out. The aim of this certification is to ensure that the electrical wiring in the property is safe and poses no risk to the tenant.
Energy Performance Certificate:
Landlords are required to provide an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) to prospective tenants before they move into the property. The EPC rates the energy efficiency of the property and provides information on the estimated energy costs.
The EPC is valid for 10 years and must be carried out by a qualified energy assessor. The rating on the EPC ranges from A (most efficient) to G (least efficient). Landlords must ensure that the rating is at least an E before letting out the property. This certification aims to ensure that the property meets minimum energy efficiency standards, thus reducing energy bills for tenants and contributing towards Scotland’s climate targets.
Legionella Risk Assessment:
Landlords are required to carry out a Legionella Risk Assessment to ensure that the water supply in the property does not pose a risk to tenants. This assessment must be carried out by a qualified person and must be renewed every 2 years.
The assessment will identify any areas where Legionella bacteria may be present, such as in stagnant water in pipes or tanks. Any issues identified during the assessment must be rectified before the property can be let out. This certification is vital as Legionella bacteria can cause Legionnaires’ disease which is a serious form of pneumonia that can be fatal.
Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms:
Landlords are required to have smoke alarms installed in every room that is used as living accommodation, as well as in any hallway or landing. Carbon monoxide alarms are also required in any room with a solid fuel burning appliance.
The alarms must be in good working order and must be tested before the tenant moves in. After that, it is the tenant's responsibility to test the alarms regularly and report any issues to the landlord. This certification aims to ensure that tenants are aware of any potential dangers and can act accordingly in case of an emergency.
Landlord Registration:
Landlords in Scotland are required to register with their local council before letting out a property. This registration must be renewed every
Electrical Safety in Scotland: A Guide for Homeowners and Businesses
Electricity is an essential part of modern life, powering everything from lights to computers to heating systems. However, it can also be dangerous if not handled properly. Electrical accidents can cause injury, property damage, and even death. It is essential to take electrical safety seriously, both in the home and in the workplace.
In Scotland, electrical safety is regulated by several different bodies, including the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the Scottish Government. There are strict guidelines in place to ensure that electrical installations are safe and comply with the relevant regulations.
Domestic Electrical Safety
Electrical safety in the home is a crucial issue, as electrical accidents can be particularly dangerous in a residential setting. Here are some tips for ensuring electrical safety in the home:
Have your electrical installations tested regularly: In Scotland, all electrical installations must be tested periodically to ensure that they are safe and comply with the relevant regulations. This is known as a periodic inspection and testing. The frequency of these tests will depend on the type of installation and its usage.
Use a qualified electrician: When you need electrical work done in your home, always use a qualified electrician who is registered with a relevant regulatory body. This ensures that the work is carried out to a high standard and complies with all relevant safety regulations.
Be careful with electrical appliances: Faulty electrical appliances can be a significant safety hazard in the home. Always buy appliances from reputable retailers, and be sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions for safe use. If an appliance is damaged or shows signs of wear and tear, have it repaired or replaced immediately.
Keep electrical installations and appliances away from water: Water is a conductor of electricity and can be very dangerous when it comes into contact with electrical installations or appliances. Be sure to keep electrical items away from water sources such as sinks, baths, and showers.
Install Residual Current Devices (RCDs): RCDs are devices that provide an additional level of protection against electrical shocks and fires. They work by quickly cutting off the electricity supply if a fault is detected. It is now a requirement in Scotland for RCDs to be installed in all new or modified electrical installations in domestic dwellings.
Commercial Electrical Safety
In the workplace, electrical safety is just as important as it is in the home. Here are some tips for ensuring electrical safety in a commercial setting:
Have your electrical installations tested regularly: Just like in the home, all electrical installations in commercial premises must be tested regularly to ensure they are safe and comply with the relevant regulations. This is known as a periodic inspection and testing or an EICR.
Use a qualified electrician: When you need electrical work done in your workplace, always use a qualified electrician who is registered with a relevant regulatory body. This ensures that the work is carried out to a high standard and complies with all relevant safety regulations.
Use Portable Appliance Testing (PAT): Portable appliances, such as computers and printers, are subject to more wear and tear than fixed installations. Regular Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) can help to identify any faults or damage and ensure that these items remain safe for use.
Implement safe working practices: Implement safe working practices for electrical work, such as isolating electrical systems before starting work, using appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and ensuring that all workers are trained in safe working practices.
Be aware of the risks of electrical shock and fire: Electrical shock and fire are two of the most significant risks associated with electrical installations and appliances. Ensure that all workers are aware of these risks and are trained in the appropriate procedures for dealing with them.
An EICR is a thorough inspection and testing of the electrical installation in a property, including the wiring, electrical fittings, and consumer unit (fuse box). The testing is carried out by a qualified electrician who will check the installation against the current version of the UK's Wiring Regulations (BS 7671).
The testing procedure for an EICR involves the following:
Visual inspection: The electrician will conduct a visual inspection of the electrical installation, looking for any obvious defects or signs of damage, such as cracked or damaged sockets, frayed wiring, or exposed cables.
Dead testing: The electrician will then conduct a series of tests on the electrical installation with the power turned off. This includes checking the continuity of the earth wiring and testing the insulation resistance of the wiring.
Live testing: Once the dead testing is complete, the electrician will turn the power back on and carry out a series of tests on the live electrical installation. This includes checking the polarity and earth loop impedance of the wiring, as well as testing the operation of residual current devices (RCDs) and circuit breakers.
Functional testing: The electrician will also test the functionality of all electrical fixtures and fittings, such as switches, sockets, lights, and appliances. This ensures that all electrical components are working correctly and safely.
Report: Once the testing is complete, the electrician will provide a detailed report that highlights any defects, damage, or safety concerns identified during the inspection. The report will also include recommendations for remedial work that may be required to bring the installation up to current safety standards.
In summary, electrical testing for an EICR involves a thorough inspection and testing of the electrical installation in a property, including a visual inspection, dead testing, live testing, functional testing, and a detailed report highlighting any defects or safety concerns. This testing ensures that the electrical installation is safe and meets current regulations, providing peace of mind for homeowners and tenants.
In the UK, there are several electrical tests that need to be carried out in a home to ensure that the electrical installation is safe and meets current safety standards. These tests include:
Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR): This is a comprehensive inspection and testing of the electrical installation in a property, including the wiring, electrical fittings, and consumer unit (fuse box). It is recommended that an EICR is carried out at least every 10 years for owner-occupied homes and every 5 years for rented properties.
Portable Appliance Testing (PAT): This is a test of portable electrical appliances in a property, such as laptops, TVs, and kitchen appliances. It is recommended that PAT testing is carried out annually in rented properties and as required in owner-occupied homes.
RCD Testing: Residual Current Devices (RCDs) are safety devices that protect against electric shock. It is recommended that RCDs are tested every 3 months in rented properties and annually in owner-occupied homes.
Smoke Detector Testing: Smoke detectors are essential safety devices that can save lives in the event of a fire. It is recommended that smoke detectors are tested monthly and replaced every 10 years.
Carbon Monoxide Detector Testing: Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a poisonous gas that can be produced by faulty gas appliances. It is recommended that CO detectors are tested monthly and replaced every 5-7 years.
It is important to note that these are minimum recommendations, and some situations may require more frequent testing or additional tests. It is also important to have all electrical work carried out by a qualified electrician and to keep all electrical certificates and test reports up to date.
The 18th edition of the Wiring Regulations (BS 7671) was introduced in 2018 and includes new requirements for consumer units, also known as fuse boxes. Consumer units are the point at which the electrical supply enters a property and are responsible for distributing the electricity to the various circuits within the home. It is important to have a new 18th edition consumer unit installed in your house for a number of reasons, including safety, compliance with regulations, and future-proofing.
Safety
The most important reason to have a new 18th edition consumer unit installed in your house is safety. Older consumer units may not provide adequate protection against electric shocks or fires. The 18th edition of the Wiring Regulations requires consumer units to have an RCD (Residual Current Device) installed for every circuit. An RCD is a safety device that quickly switches off the electricity if it detects a fault or current imbalance. This provides a high level of protection against electric shocks and reduces the risk of electrical fires.
Compliance with regulations
Another reason to have a new 18th edition consumer unit installed in your house is to comply with current regulations. The 18th edition of the Wiring Regulations is a legal requirement and failure to comply could result in legal action being taken against you. Additionally, if you are selling your house, you will need to provide an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) which shows that your electrical installation meets the 18th edition requirements.
Future-proofing
Having a new 18th edition consumer unit installed in your house will future-proof your electrical installation. The 18th edition requirements are designed to provide a high level of safety and protection, and having a new consumer unit installed now will ensure that your installation meets the latest standards for years to come. This will also save you money in the long run, as you will not need to upgrade your consumer unit every time the regulations are updated.
In conclusion, it is essential to have a new 18th edition consumer unit installed in your house for safety, compliance with regulations, and future-proofing. Failure to do so could result in serious consequences, including the risk of electric shock or fire, legal action, and the need to pay for costly upgrades in the future.
The new Smoke and heat alarms that used to be law in Scotland for landlord has now been extended to homeowners, as of February 2022 all homes in Scotland would need to be fitted with interlinked smoke and heat alarm detection systems. Below is a video from the Scottish Government regarding the new law
To request a visit from our leading installers contact WES Electrical below
You can use either sealed battery alarms or mains-wired alarms.
Both types of alarm are interlinked by radio frequency and do not need WiFi.
What the alarms must have
If you use battery alarms, they must be sealed tamper-proof units and have long-life lithium batteries, which can be up to 10 years. You may be able to fit these types of alarms yourself and they do not need an electrician.
Mains-wired alarms are cheaper but if you use them, they must be fitted by a qualified electrician and must be replaced every 10 years. You may also need to redecorate after fitting them.
If you also need a carbon monoxide alarm and it is battery-operated, it must have a sealed battery for the duration of its lifespan.
Where and what to buy
There is no list of approved suppliers or fitters. You can buy both types of alarms online or in store from a number of retailers, and any qualified electrician can fit the mains-wired type.
You need to check that each alarm complies with the following standards:
Please note that 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) states that only heat alarms should be installed in kitchens.
Frequently asked questions
The more detailed information below may help to answer some other common questions about the new standard.
Cost of alarms and financial help
Homeowners and landlords
Any costs will be the responsibility of home owners and landlords, and will depend on 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 £290. This is based on using the type of alarms that you can install by yourself without the need for an electrician.
The Scottish Government has, over the period 2018-20, provided the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) with £1m funding to install these alarms in the homes of people assessed to be at high risk from fire as part of a home fire safety visit.
As a general principle, home owners must pay for any ongoing work needed on their own property. As with other housing standards, the homeowner must meet the new fire and carbon monoxide alarm standard. Local authorities have broad discretionary powers to provide advice and help to home owners with work needed to look after their homes.
Help with the costs for pensioners and disabled people
We are providing funding through Care and Repair Scotland to help elderly and disabled people meet the new standard.
To be eligible for support from Care and Repair Scotland you must own and live in your home that has a council tax banding of A-C and:
be of state pension page and receiving guaranteed Pension Credit, or
have a disability and be in a support group for Employment and Support Allowance
Tenants of local authority or housing associations
Social landlords (local authority and housing association landlords) are aware of the new standard and have been working to ensure that the new alarms are in place, where needed. The Scottish Government has made over £15m of loan funding available for social landlords ensuring that social tenants are safe in their homes. The standard will be monitored by the Scottish Housing Regulator, which may intervene as they deem appropriate for any non-compliance.
Shared ownership (housing association)
For shared ownership properties, as with other condition standards, responsibilities are set out in the occupancy agreement. However, in general, it is your responsibility as the proportion owner, rather than the registered social landlord, to meet the new fire and smoke alarm standard.
Private rented property
The new standards for fire and smoke alarms extend those which currently apply in the Private Rented Sector (PRS) to housing of all tenures, your landlord should already be complying.
Specialist alarms
If specialist alarms are needed – such as for deaf people or Telecare systems – these must be fitted in addition to any smoke, heat and carbon monoxide alarms.
Interlinked smoke and heat alarms are required to be installed in addition to any Telecare smoke/heat alarms to help keep you safe. If you have fitted or are planning to fit interlinked smoke and heat alarms, please do not remove your telecare smoke, heat or carbon monoxide alarms.
Tenements and blocks of flats
Different homes in a shared property like a tenement or block of flats do not need to be linked to each other, and there is no need for alarms to be fitted in communal areas such as entry halls and stairways.
Asbestos in ceilings and how it affects installation
It is not necessary to disturb asbestos to install fire alarms. You may wish to seek specialist advice but it is possible to install interlinked, tamper proof long-life lithium battery alarms to ceilings with asbestos using a firm adhesive. It is unlikely that attaching an alarm with an adhesive pad would constitute disturbance of asbestos as it does not require cutting or drilling or similar intrusion to release fine particles.
If for any reason, it is inappropriate or you do not want to use an adhesive pad, battery-operated alarms that meet the manufactures requirement and can be wall mounted may be used, - to be compliant with the legislation, an alarm on the wall should be within 30 cm of the ceiling.
Replaceable batteries
Replaceable batteries cannot be used because the sensors in the alarm degrade over time and so will not be able to detect heat or smoke. This is why the alarm has a limited lifetime. There have been several tragedies over the years where alarms failed because their batteries expired or people have removed them. Any alarm you buy will have information on how long it lasts, which can be up to 10 years.
Sealed, tamper-proof battery units must be used because they are safer than those which allow the user to change the batteries.
Disposing of your old alarms
Some but not all types of alarms can be recycled at recycling centres. Look on the alarm for information, or check with the manufacturer.
Compliance with the new standard
Compliance checks
Most home owners want to make their homes as safe as possible and compliance will in time form part of any Home Report when they come to sell their home.
As this will be a minimum standard for safe houses, local authorities will be able to use their statutory powers to require owners to carry out work on substandard housing. However, as is the case for other elements of the Tolerable Standard, any intervention must be proportionate, rational and reasonable and where owners are unable to meet the standard, it is not a criminal offence.
Information and advice
Free Home Fire Safety visits from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS)
To protect the most vulnerable, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) will only fit interlinked alarms into owner-occupied homes where the individual/household is assessed as “high risk” through our Home Fire Safety Visit assessment process.
If the individual / household does not meet these criteria, SFRS staff will provide safety advice, information and details of the revised legislation during the visit. Interim detection can also be supplied if the property has no detectors at present.
Household insurance
Different home insurance policies will have different terms and conditions which a homeowner must comply with in order for their home insurance to be valid. If you are not sure how the new fire and smoke alarm requirements affect your policy, get in touch with your insurer to find out.
Building regulations requirements
New home extensions and building regulation requirements
While building regulations recommend mains operated devices with battery back-up for building work in certain circumstances, tamper proof long-life lithium battery operated devices may be the preferred option for home owners.
The building standards system gives the local authority verifier a degree of flexibility when applying the building regulations to alterations, extensions and conversions. They can consider that a sealed long-life battery operated system that is interlinked via radio frequency can provide an equal or in some cases, higher level of protection than is required through Building Regulations.
A building warrant is sometimes required for the installation of fire and CO alarms
If you are only installing battery operated alarms a building warrant is not required.
Electric boilers are a method of heating hot water for your heating system using only electricity. A typical boiler uses gas to heat the water, whilst an electric boiler can be used in off-grid areas, or where a gas supply is either not wanted or not possible. This a new method of creating hot water and a new installation of the boiler unit would need to be carried out.
You would initially need to carry out checks to see what electrical system you have in your property, This would involve an EICR report carried out on your property, if you are a landlord in Glasgow you would be used to this by way of yearly landlord certificates that you would require. As long as you have modern wiring, and unto date consumer unit / fuseboard the installation can go ahead without additional works required.
The boiler itself is very simple. It can come in various shapes and forms, but typically you will see a unit that has the water running through it, being heated via a heating element, just like you would a kettle. You will sometimes see long slim units that are designed to create maximum surface area to heat the water.
What are the advantages of electric boilers?
Electric boilers can be advantageous in certain situations. They are very simple pieces of technology, so they don’t need a lot of space, and can be placed almost anywhere in a property because they don’t need a flue or a gas pipe run to them. Very little heat is lost in the process of heating the water, so electric boilers are almost 100% efficient.
They tend to be easier to install and they obviously don’t need a Gas Safe engineer. The simplicity of the system and the installation process means that the overall cost of installation is going to be much less than a gas boiler.
Of course, if electric boilers were the best solution, you would see them everywhere, but you don’t. There are downsides to electric boilers – let me run you through the key points. Gas is considerably cheaper than electricity, at about 30% of the price. That means the cost of heating water using electricity is going to be a lot higher, even if you have a very efficient system.
That much is fairly obvious, but even when you compare electric boilers to other forms of electric heating, the electric boiler doesn’t necessarily come out on top. If you compare it to infrared, for example, an electric boiler will be more expensive to run.
Electric boilers probably have their place in certain properties. They are a simple, easy-to-install option but for many people there are going to be better ways to heat the home out there to look at. If gas isn’t an option, infrared, heat pumps or even oil boilers are all likely to be cheaper to run than electric boilers.
