EPC

Do you have a valid EPC, Energy Performance Certificate?

EPC is valid for 10 years and forms part of a Home Report. It estimates an average energy cost of your property for 3 years and offers improvements.

Landlord registration number

Do you have a landlord registration number?

Gas appliances

Do you have any gas appliances?

Do you have a valid gas safety certificate?

Smoke and heat alarms

Do you have smoke alarms in all bedrooms, hallway/hallways, living room, landing/landings and a heat alarm in the kitchen? The alarms should be either:

• Hard wired with a battery backup, or
• With a sealed long-life battery

Alarms should be interconnected – usually wirelessly. If you have all alarms, please select Yes.

How many alarms will you need? You will need smoke or heat alarms in the following rooms:

• Kitchen/kitchens
• Hallway/hallways
• Landing/landings
• Bedroom/bedrooms
• Living room/living rooms

EICR

Do you have a current EICR (Electrical Condition Installation Report)? It is valid usually for 5 years.

New property

Was your flat built less than 5 years ago?

Portable appliances

Will you provide any portable electrical appliances, like: kettle; iron; freestanding washing machine; freestanding fridge? If you provide only hardwired or integrated appliances (i.e. a built-in fridge or an integrated oven), please select No.

Portable Appliance Test

Do you have a current PAT, Portable Appliance Test?

Legionella Risk Assessment

Do you have a current Legionella Risk Assessment (LRA)? It is valid for up to 2 years.

Landlord insurance

Do you have landlord insurance? It should include at least building and public liability insurance.

Fire Risk Assessment

All HMO properties require a valid Fire Risk Assessment. Do you have a valid Fire Risk Assessment?

Flooring

All HMO properties (except ground floor flats and properties above shops and offices) should be carpeted (bedrooms, lounge, hall). Good quality cushioned vinyl (lino) is a suitable flooring for bathroom and kitchen. Another option is to obtain a noise exemption letter, signed by the occupiers of the flat below. Is your flat compliant at the moment - either fully carpeted, located on the ground floor or above a non residential property? Or alternately - do you have a signed noise exemption letter?

Smoke alarms

HMO properties should have interlinked, mains powered smoke alarms in each bedroom, in each landing, hall, each cupboard with at least one socket. Regular rental properties need to have alarms in: living room, hall or landing and kitchen only.

Alarms can cost, depending on brand, whether linked wirelessly or by cable, electrician's rates, between £100 and £140. Let's assume that each alarm costs £120. Please count how many bedrooms and cupboards with at least one sockets are there in your property.

How many alarms do you need?

Fire doors

All major doors along the escape rooms (bedrooms, living room, kitchen) should have at least 30 minute fire resistance (FD30). This means that the panel and insert should be of considerable thickness, with smoke and intumescent seals and a top-hung self-closing device fitted. Do all your doors along the escape route have at least FD30 fire rating?

Fanlights

All fanlights, i.e. internal windows between rooms should be fireproof, either by using a fireproof glass or boarding them up with a fireproof board. The latter solution is more frequent and cheaper. Do you need to fireproof any fanlights?

Locks

HMO tenants should be able to open the main flat door (and their bedroom door if there is a lock in it) from the inside without keys. Night latch and thumb turn locks can save lives during a fire - they do not require keys for the door to open from the inside. It costs approximately £60 to replace a regular cylinder or a mortice lock with a thumb turn lock. HMO investors usually need to replace 1-2 main door locks. Will you need to replace any locks?

Emergency Lights

The majority of HMO properties require emergency light above or around the main flat door. Do you have such light in your property?

Fire extinguisher and a fire blanket

Portable fire fighting appliances should be installed in the hall or landing (fire extinguishers) and in the kitchen (fire blanket, by the door, but not behind the door). Do you have a fire extinguisher in the hall or landing and a fire blanket in the kitchen?

Stickers

The fire exit door needs to have a fire exit sticker. There should also be a fire action sticker, preferably on the main flat door. Do you have such stickers?

HMO safety certificates

Lettings in Scotland are heavily legislated. One of the assumptions of the calculator was that you are already a Scottish registered landlord, that your current property has all necessary regular lettings certificates: EICR, PAT, gas safety, legionella risk assessment.

The landlords of HMO properties will require a few other safety certificates to apply for an HMO licence. Each HMO certificate needs to be renewed annually: They are:

• Emergency lights testing certificate, approximately £50.
• Fire alarms testing certificate, approximately £45.
• Fire fighting appliances service certificate, approximately £60.

If you have just purchased a brand new fire extinguisher and a blanket and commissioned them, you will not need to provide a fire fighting appliances certificates. Please remember to service your extinguishers and blanket the following year. You will then require fire fighting appliances certificates the following year. There is a small possibility you will not need emergency light, and if so, you obviously do not need to obtain an emergency light periodic testing certificate.

What HMO related certificates will you need?

Edinburgh Council HMO licence fee

The last expense is your Edinburgh Council HMO licence fee. The fee depends on the number of the tenants and tends to be raised in April each year. As of May 2021, the cost is: 3 tenants £653, 4 tenants £871, 5 tenants £1089.

Please select the number of your tenants.