Deputy News Editor
Landlords are failing to provide even the basic safety necessities and are facing very few consequences
A Glasgow landlord has received a warning from the council after neglecting to install carbon monoxide detectors in her property.
Since December 2015 Scottish landlords have been required by law to install carbon monoxide detectors in their properties. In spite of this, Glasgow City Council’s licensing committee failed to revoke the HMO license held in relation to the property or take any further action. The property in question was inhabited by three students at the time and a period of over three months passed before carbon monoxide detectors were installed.
When the property’s owner was asked by the licensing committee why it took so long to have detectors installed, she responded: “We use a Glasgow company and they could not fit us in before then. It clearly should have been done quicker.”
Carbon monoxide is both odourless and colourless and can be produced by faulty appliances such as ovens and boilers. Partly due to the fact it cannot be detected without the use of equipment, serious accidents involving carbon monoxide are still commonplace in Scotland.
This issue was highlighted earlier in July 2018 when consumer advocacy group “Which?” published a report highlighting the inadequate care taken by many Scottish landlords and letting agents in relation to carbon monoxide in their properties. The group found that two-thirds of landlords surveyed had an unacceptable level of knowledge pertaining to hazard. When asked, none were able to provide information regarding the age or condition of the boilers in their properties.
In response to these findings Alex Neill, the group’s Managing Director of Home Products and Services said: “It’s unacceptable that, all too often, agents can’t answer basic questions about important issues like boiler safety and carbon monoxide alarms. Tenants need to be given clear and accurate information before moving into a new place and agents must do more to deliver an acceptable level of service.”
