Update on changes to smoke and heat detector requirements

As we reported earlier in 2018, the housing minister has agreed to allow long-life sealed-unit battery smoke/heat detectors in place of mains powered ones in all tenures, which will significantly reduce the cost and difficulty of fitting detectors. Many members have been asking us when this change will be introduced.

The Scottish Government has updated us on the latest timeframe for this change coming in. They hope to have the regulations laid before Parliament later this month which would mean that they would come into force around the start of February 2019.

Although subject to parliamentary approval, the proposal is to require detectors to be powered by a sealed-in battery with a 10-year lifespan. Detectors will still need to be interlinked with others in the property. We will update members with more details as soon as they are available.