New Letting Regulations for 2024
As from 1st March 2024, The Scottish Government (SG) has introduced upgrades to the Repairing Standard (the minimum physical standard a tenanted property must meet) as follows:
Residual Current Devices (RCD’s)
The existing duty to ensure that installations for the supply of electricity in a private rented house are in a reasonable state of repair and in proper working order will be amended to specify that these must include a residual current device (a device to reduce the risk of electrocution and fire by breaking the circuit in the event of a fault).
For further information, may I refer to you to SG’s website as follows: Annexe D3: Installations for the supply of electricity – D54 – Repairing Standard: statutory guidance for private landlords – gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
Lead Pipes.
There is an existing duty to ensure that installations for the supply of water are in a reasonable state of repair and in proper working order. This guidance now specifies that from 1 March 2024, the house should be free of lead pipes from the boundary stopcock to the kitchen tap, and that if this cannot be confirmed, a water quality test must be carried out. All drinking water supplies in Scotland must meet minimum standards which are set out in regulations. The main cause of lead in drinking water is lead pipes leading up to or within the house and is more common in houses built before 1970 that have not had their pipes, tanks or fittings replaced.
Private landlords must check visible pipework within the house to assess whether the supply runs through lead pipes.
More information on lead in drinking water can be found on the websites of the Drinking Water Quality Regulator for Scotland and Scottish Water. Or at Scottish Government website – Repairing Standard: statutory guidance for private landlords – gov.scot (www.gov.scot) – 7. Lead Pipes.
