Preventing Fires in Stairwells

We were all shocked by the recent fire at Lordburn Place in Forfar, which was reported in the local press. We’re asking all Council tenants to promote fire safety in and around blocks of flats.

 We take the issue of fire safety very seriously and we want to ensure that tenants and their families are as safe as possible from the dangers of smoke and fire.

Common parts of any shared premises are particularly vulnerable if rubbish is allowed to build up in stairwells.

How you can prevent a fire in your block 

• Do not store rubbish or flammable materials in communal areas.
• Report any build up of such materials immediately to ACCESSLine.
• Keep fire exits and escape routes clear. This could either be a door leading from your home, a balcony walkway or shared landing or staircase. The hall may be the only way out of your home so make sure there is nothing in the way that might slow you down in an emergency.
• Be aware of your nearest fire exits.
• Do not wedge fire doors open.

In the event of a fire

• Call the fire service on 999.
• Use the stairs, not a lift.
• If you are trapped, close the door of your room and use bedding or clothes to block up any gaps under the door that might let in smoke or fumes.
• Shout ‘FIRE’ from the window and tell people to call the fire service.                                                                                                                                          

  What we do to keep flat occupants safe

• We inspect our blocks of flats on a regular basis to identify and report any issues for priority repair – we will take action against anyone who endangers the safety of occupants of blocks by dumping rubbish in stairwells

• We work with Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to ensure our blocks of flats are as safe as possible, carrying out regular fire risk audits.

• We carry out Fire Risk Assessments in all communal areas to ensure our blocks meet the highest possible fire standards.
  

If you have any concerns regarding the safety of your building,

 contact your local housing team

on ACCESSLine 03452 777 778

  

 

 

 

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Advice For Private Landlords – Renewals and Energy Efficiency

As a registered private landlord, you have certain legal responsibilities under the Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) 2004.

Once you have registered you must renew your registration every 3 years. Using an email address that you provided in the application process, you will receive email reminders to renew 3 months before expiry. The Council can only send correspondence to the email address you provide.

If you fail to register after receiving two requests to apply, you are charged a late application fee of £130. Late fees don’t have any discount applied and all joint owners have to pay this fee. The late application fee is a charge laid down in legislation, and is automatically applied immediately upon the expiry of a registration. When a registration expires, it is no longer legal for any property to be let or sought to be let as they are no longer registered.

In many cases, the fee is charged at renewal due to an oversight by the landlord, rather than a deliberate avoidance of registration. To help landlords minimise the risk of having to pay a late fee, please note the following advice from the Scottish Government:

• Firstly, if you are required to register but haven’t, please do so!
• For those that are registered, renewal reminders are sent by e-mail at 90 days and 30 days before expiration. This offers a three month window in which to renew your registration without incurring a late fee.
• The Private Landlord Registration (Fees) (Scotland) Regulations 2019 increased landlord registration fees from 11 June 2019. The regulations changed the principal fee to £65; the property fee to £15 and the late application fee to £130.
• The Late Application Fee is the first enforcement step for landlords letting property without a valid registration. The next step is typically a Rent Penalty Notice, where rent is ceased for all let properties, the ultimate sanction is to have a registration revoked and for prosecution action to be considered. Please keep within the law and ensure that registrations are kept up to date.
• Always keep your landlord registration e-mail and contact address details up to date. E-mail and postal reminders are issued based on the details held in the register. If you wish to change you contact email address you can do so online by using the website  
• E-mails can sometimes end up in a spam or junk folder. Please remember to check these mailboxes so that reminder notices aren’t missed. The Council is not responsible if you fail to advise us of a change of email address or fail to check your spam inbox.
• You can easily check your registration expiry date, in a single local authority area or across multiple registrations, using the online system and taking the renew/update journey. The summary page at the start of the “Your Registration” journey (https://landlordregistrationscotland.gov.uk/) will list all your registrations, expiry dates and let properties.
• The Landlord Registration System was enhanced further this year by introducing a summary page at the start of the “Your Registration” journey and this lists all a landlord’s registrations, expiry dates and the let properties. If you are unsure when your registration expires please take a moment to check.
• Joint owners must register / renew in their own right, a lead owner cannot register or renew on behalf of second or subsequent owners. Although second joint owner fees are typically waived, Late Application Fees are applied to joint owners whose registrations have lapsed.

Other useful sources of information are the Mygov.scot and Renting Scotland websites, or representative organisations such as the Scottish Association of Landlords, and Landlord Accreditation Scotland.

Scottish Government Consultation on Energy Performance

The Scottish Government is currently consulting on proposals to improve the energy efficiency and condition standards of privately rented housing in Scotland. For more information, see our housing blog post: Calling All Private Landlords! Have Your Say on Energy Efficiency!

Supporting World Suicide Prevention Day

World Suicide Prevention Day is held annually on 10 September. The main aims of this initiative are to:

• raise awareness that suicide is preventable,
• improve education about suicide,
• spread information about suicide awareness and
• decrease stigmatization of suicide.

Events and activities in for World Suicide Prevention Day in Angus include: 

Wellbeing Event

Suicide Prevention-Basic Awareness Training

Suicide Prevention – Safety Plan Training

 

 

Free English classes available in Angus

The English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes will start back on 26 August.

The ESOL programme is for students who want to learn and improve their English skills.

We provide free evening classes in Forfar, Brechin, Montrose and Arbroath for both beginners and intermediate students which can also lead to SQA qualifications. Details of classes are below:

Learn English FREE in Montrose Academy

 

Learn English in Arbroath

 

Learn English in Forfar

 

Learn English in Brechin

For further information contact Neil Paterson on 01307 473662 or email patersonn@angus.gov.uk

Calling All Private Landlords! Have Your Say on Energy Efficiency!

The Scottish Government is consulting on the minimum energy efficiency standards for the private rented sector.

This is your chance to have your say. The proposed minimum standards will be:

• EPC E for new lets from April 2020, and all properties with a minimum EPC rating E by April 2022
• EPC D for new lets from April 2022, and all properties minimum EPC rating D by April 2025

If your private rented property does not meet EPC band E then you may be required to bring it up to standard within the set timeframe.

You can also find advice and information about private sector housing, such as your rights and responsibilities as a tenant, landlord or homeowner at our new private housing pages.