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  5. Below Tolerable Standard Grants

Below Tolerable Standard Grants

£300,000 from the 2024/25 Town Centre Living Fund has been allocated to tackle properties that fail to meet Tolerable Standards across Dumfries and Galloway.

Update

The Council put in place a scheme for 2024/25 to assist homeowners whose properties have been found to fall Below the Tolerable Standard (BTS). The Tolerable Standard is a basic level of repair your property must meet to make it fit for a person to live in. An example of being BTS would be where there are unsafe levels of lead in water supplies, homes are structurally unstable, or there is severe dampness penetrating into living spaces such as bedrooms and sitting rooms. The scheme has seen significant interest and demand and the provision of grants by the Council is discretionary, however we will continue to provide advice, and guidance to those who request it. 

To help manage demand, we have prioritised the most severe cases and will continue to review all existing approvals. At this point we have also had to temporarily close the waiting list to new enquiries while we work through the significant number of requests for assistance already received. We thank you for your patience, and ask that you continue to check this page for further updates.

To meet the tolerable standard a property must meet the following criteria:

  • The main fabric of the property is structurally stable.
  • There is an adequate supply of wholesome water and if there is a sink with a satisfactory supply of hot and cold water.
  • The property has toilet facilities available for the exclusive use of the occupants of the house.
  • The property is substantially free from rising or penetrating damp.
  • The property has a fixed bath or shower and a wash hand basin, suitably located within the house and each has a satisfactory supply of hot and cold water.
  • The property has an effective system for the drainage and disposal of foul and surface water.
  • The electric supply meets safety regulations
  • The property is insulated well enough
  • There is suitable ventilation, natural and artificial light, and heating
  • It has a proper entrance
  • In cases of major works being required to meet the tolerable standard, such as roof replacement or structural remediation, assistance would also be provided to install smoke and heat alarms where required. Where technically feasible, the objective would be to support the addition of hard wired alarms.

Heat and Smoke Detection

The law on fire alarms changed February 2022 which means all Scottish homes will need to have interlinked alarms. Interlinked means if one goes off, they all go off, so you will always hear an alarm wherever you are in your home.

The new law has come about because of the Grenfell fire in London in 2017, and it applies to all Scottish homes.

It is the property owner's responsibility for meeting the new standard.  Every home must have:

  • one smoke alarm in the living room or the room you use most
  • one smoke alarm in every hallway or landing
  • one heat alarm in the kitchen

All smoke and heat alarms should be mounted on the ceiling and be interlinked.

If you have a carbon-fuelled appliance - like a  boiler, fire, heater or flue - in any room, you must also have a carbon monoxide detector in that room, but this does not need to be linked to the fire alarms.

You can use either sealed battery alarms or mains-wired alarms.

Both types of alarm are interlinked by radio frequency and do not need WiFi.

For more information, please visit Fire and smoke alarms: changes to the law - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Rescources

More information

To arrange an initial visit to your property by one of our team

Council and democracy
Page last updated: 30/08/2024
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