The £693 rise in energy bills this April will be a “hammer blow” for Scottish households, consumer campaigners and politicians have warned.
16.01.2022 - 15:35 / dailyrecord.co.uk
Hundreds of thousands of Scots homeowners have just days to install new fire alarms or risk their insurance policies becoming worthless.
Controversial legislation coming into force on February 1 requires every property to have an “interlinked” system costing up to £400.
And the Association of British Insurers (ABI) has confirmed to the Sunday Mail that failure to meet the new legal safety standard could affect existing insurance policies.
The Scottish Government is facing furious demands to delay the rules over fears the vast majority of homeowners still don’t have the alarms or even know about the change.
An ABI spokesman said: “Insurers will expect that households and businesses are compliant with any legislation on requirements for the property, such as fire alarms.”
The requirement for linked alarms has already been delayed by a year due to the pandemic.
There have been hold-ups in the supply of alarms, as well as public awareness issues.
However, 12 months on, little has changed, leading to fears that insurers will refuse to pay out in the event of a claim from someone who has failed to install a new system.
Stuart McLintock, owner of ABC Electrical in Kilmarnock, said: “There is definitely a big issue with the fact that the majority of homes still do not have them – and that could obviously have a knock-on effect for insurance policies.
“The Scottish Government is also underestimating the cost on their website when they say a system can be fitted for £220 in an average home.
"The alarms themselves, even if you fit them yourself, are more likely to cost around £280. For a larger house, it will be quite a bit more.”
Under the new rules, homes must have interlinked smoke alarms in the living room, hallways and landings and
The £693 rise in energy bills this April will be a “hammer blow” for Scottish households, consumer campaigners and politicians have warned.
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