A story coming out of Scotland where a landlord was refused a lettings licence by a local council for not keeping fire safety alarm records highlights the importance of keeping up with legislations and paperwork when letting property.

Scottish local authorities have different licensing stipulations to councils in England and Wales’ and it was also discovered the landlord had failed to ensure the property was in a good state of repair.

Council inspectors found a cracked bath and broker cooker ignition switch in the property, into which four students moved last month. And the fire authority pointed out a complete absence of maintenance records for the fire alarm system or emergency lighting since 2016.

Councillors refused to grant the HMO a licence despite the landlord claiming all necessary certification had been sent to the Scottish Fire & Rescue Service and the repair issues have been adequately sorted.