What Highland Council actually wants
The Highland Council STL licensing team is one of the most detailed in Scotland. For a licence application they'll typically ask for:
- An in-date EICR (5-year, satisfactory)
- PAT test records for all portable appliances provided to guests
- Confirmation that interlinked smoke, heat and CO alarms are fitted and working (the Scottish standard since February 2022)
- Gas Safe certificate if there's gas (a plumber does that — we don't touch gas)
- A fire risk assessment
We handle the electrical side of that list in one visit and one price. If you're missing anything, we tell you what you need before we invoice.
The interlinked alarm rule — what actually counts
Since February 2022 every home in Scotland has needed interlinked smoke and heat alarms. Interlinked means: when one goes off, they all go off. Battery-linked (RadioLINK, RF, Wi-SafeMED, etc.) is accepted. Mains-hardwired is accepted. Standalone battery alarms that don't talk to each other are not accepted.
For STLs the licensing team will ask for evidence — either a certificate from the sparks who fitted them, or a photograph showing the interlink button working. We test them on every STL visit and log it on the compliance summary.
See our interlinked smoke alarms page for the full spec and pricing.
What we don't do — and where to find it
To keep the compliance pack clean and honest, here's what a sparks can't cover on an STL visit:
- Gas Safe certificate — you need a Gas Safe registered engineer. We can recommend two we work with in Ross-shire.
- Fire risk assessment — you can do this yourself using the Scottish Government template, or a fire consultant can do it for around £150-£250.
- Legionella risk assessment — usually self-assessed if it's a domestic-scale hot water system. Bigger properties may need a professional.
- EPC — a Domestic Energy Assessor.
Everything on that list we can point you to somebody honest for. Just ask.
