Landlord and HMO Requirements Edinburgh

Electrical Safety

Landlords must make sure electrical systems and appliances in their rental property are fit for purpose and safe to use. Best practice is to carry out an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) or PIR, every three years and a Portable Appliance Test (PAT) annually.

Smoke Alarms

As a landlord you have a duty of care to protect your tenants. You must ensure that your property meets current fire safety regulations for smoke, heat and carbon monoxide detection.

Building Standards Technical Handbooks 2013 states that in rented properties there should be at least:

• One functioning smoke alarm in the room which is frequently used by the occupants for general daytime living purposes
• One functioning smoke alarm in every circulation space, such as hallways and landings
• One heat alarm in every kitchen
• All alarms should be mains wired and interlinked

CO Alarms

CO Alarms are required in every room that has a gas burning appliance (boiler, gas hob, gas fire or log/coal burner) or any room in which a gas flue runs through.

HMO Requirements

It is the landlord's responsibility to ensure that hard wired electrics in an HMO property are safe. A qualified electrician can carry out an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR), also known as a PIR, to confirm whether a property meets current standards.

All appliances provided to tenants must be safe and in good repair, suitable for their intended purpose and only used for their intended purpose. The appliances should undergo an electrical safety inspection or Portable Appliance Test (PAT) every three years, or upon tenant change over if sooner.

There must be sufficient electrical sockets in each room of a property to prevent overloading that could cause a fire.

Minimum requirements for sockets are:

• 6 in each kitchen
• 4 in each bedroom and living room
• 4 additional sockets anywhere in the property