Is your lead testing lab UKAS accredited?

Since 1 March 2024 the Repairing Standard legislation has required landlords to ensure their rental properties are free of lead pipes from the boundary stopcock to the kitchen tap.

If the landlord is uncertain about whether their property contains lead pipes then a water test should be carried out to establish if the lead content is indicative of there being lead pipework in the property. The government’s Repairing Standard guidance implies that this test should be carried out by a laboratory that is UKAS accredited to BS17025.

SAL has become aware that some members are using laboratories that do not have this accreditation. The risk of using a non-accredited laboratory is that the test result may not be accepted by those tasked with enforcing landlord duties, such as the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Housing and Property Chamber) or the local authority’s landlord registration or HMO departments.

SAL is only aware of four UKAS accredited lead testing laboratories in Scotland:

Aberdeen Scientific Services

Edinburgh Scientific Services

Glasgow Scientific Services

Scottish Water Scientific Services

Contact details for the above organisations can be found in SAL’s factsheet on lead pipes.

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