New fire safety law now in place

Published: Friday 20 May 2022

This image shows a council worker fitting a smoke alarm

You might be aware that the law on fire alarms recently changed.

All homes are now required to have interlinked smoke and heat alarms.

The new law was introduced following the Grenfell Tower fire in London in 2017 and applies to all homes in Scotland.

Every home in Scotland must now have:

  • one smoke alarm in the living room or the room that is used most
  • one smoke alarm in every hallway and landing
  • one heat alarm in the kitchen

Having alarms interlinked means that if one alarm goes off, they all go off, so you will be able hear an alarm wherever you are in your home.

As your landlord, we are responsible for meeting this new standard and since 2019 we have been working to upgrade council homes with interlinked alarm systems. Due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, we still need to gain access to around 3,000 council homes.

A catch-up programme will commence shortly and tenants whose alarm installation still requires to be upgraded will be contacted by letter with details of when their alarms will be fitted. It is very important that you allow us access to your home to carry out this work to make sure your home is compliant with the new fire safety law.

More information on the new law on fire alarms can be found on the Scottish Government website