Tolerable Standard

The Tolerable Standard is a basic level of repair your property must meet to make it fit for a person to live in. The local council can force you to carry out work to bring your home up to the tolerable standard.

A home may not be fit to live in if:

• it has problems with rising or penetrating damp
• it's not structurally stable (for example, it might be subsiding)
• it does not have enough ventilation, natural and artificial light or heating
• it's not insulated well enough
• it does not have an acceptable fresh water supply, or a sink with hot and cold water
• it does not have an indoor toilet, a fixed bath or shower, and a wash basin with hot and cold water
• it does not have a good drainage and sewerage system
• the electric supply does not meet safety regulations
• it does not have a proper entrance
• there are no cooking facilities – this does not mean the landlord has to provide a cooker, but there must be somewhere suitable for a tenant to install their own
• it is not fitted with suitable fire safety devices – there must be interlinked smoke alarms, and a heat alarm in the kitchen
• it does not have a carbon monoxide detector in any room with a carbon fuelled appliance, such as a heater or boiler

Visit gov.scot for tolerable standard guidance on fire detection.

If your property does not meet the standard

If your property does not meet the Tolerable Standard and you refuse to carry out the repair work, your tenant might report you to the Housing and Property Chamber.