Advice and grant support for private homeowners

Scheme of Assistance

Our Scheme of Assistance sets out how we provide advice and assistance to help homeowners improve the quality of private housing in Dumfries and Galloway:

• Download our Scheme of Assistance [PDF - 198KB]
• Download a guide to asbestos in your home [PDF - 597KB]
• Download a guide to common repairs [PDF - 316KB]
• Download a guide to energy efficiency [PDF - 603KB]
• Download a guide to hiring a contractor [PDF - 300KB]
• Download a guide to keeping your property in good repair [PDF - 416KB]
• Download a guide to lead and your water supply [PDF - 427KB]
• Download a guide to occupational therapists [PDF - 409KB]

Below Tolerable Standards (BTS) private properties

We can provide advice and assistance if you own your house or are a private landlord and it falls below the tolerable standard.

To meet the tolerable standard a property must meet the following criteria:

• The main fabric of the property is structurally stable.
• There is an adequate supply of wholesome water and if there is a sink with a satisfactory supply of hot and cold water.
• The property has toilet facilities available for the exclusive use of the occupants of the house.
• The property is substantially free from rising or penetrating damp.
• The property has a fixed bath or shower and a wash hand basin, suitably located within the house and each has a satisfactory supply of hot and cold water.
• The property has an effective system for the drainage and disposal of foul and surface water.
• The electric supply meets safety regulations
• The property is insulated well enough
• There is suitable ventilation, natural and artificial light, and heating
• It has a proper entrance
• In cases of major works being required to meet the tolerable standard, such as roof replacement or structural remediation, assistance would also be provided to install smoke and heat alarms where required. Where technically feasible, the objective would be to support the addition of hard wired alarms.

The law on fire alarms changed February 2022 which means all Scottish homes need to have interlinked alarms. Interlinked means if one goes off, they all go off, so you will always hear an alarm wherever you are in your home.

The new law has come about because of the Grenfell fire in London in 2017, and it applies to all Scottish homes.

It is the property owner's responsibility for meeting the new standard.

Every home must have:

• one smoke alarm in the living room or the room you use most
• one smoke alarm in every hallway or landing
• one heat alarm in the kitchen

All smoke and heat alarms should be mounted on the ceiling and be interlinked.

If you have a carbon-fuelled appliance - like a  boiler, fire, heater or flue - in any room, you must also have a carbon monoxide detector in that room, but this does not need to be linked to the fire alarms.

You can use either sealed battery alarms or mains-wired alarms.

Both types of alarm are interlinked by radio frequency and do not need WiFi.

For more information, please visit Fire and smoke alarms: changes to the law - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)   

For more information regarding the eligibility and criteria for financial assistance, please click on the following link Below Tolerable Standard (dumgal.gov.uk).

Fire Alarms for Deaf People

If you are deaf it is important that you or your landlord choose a fire alarm system which has a compatible deaf alarm, for more information, please refer to the Scottish Government guidance on deaf alarms Guidance on fire alarm accessories/alerts for deaf people (www.gov.scot) or contact the local Sensory Support Team.

Contact us

Call 030 33 33 3000 to discuss your property and we'll take your details.

We may then visit the property to assess whether or not it falls below the tolerable standard.  The assessment of the tolerable standard can only be carried out by a relevant Council Officer. 

In most circumstances, a 50% grant will be made available to eligible properties with maximum award of £5,000.  Further assistance may be available for those in receipt of Council Tax Reduction, see link for further information click here.

The Below Tolerable Standard Housing Grant Scheme cannot support any enquiry if works have started or have been completed.

Energy Efficiency 

For information on energy efficiency projects, please visit the webpage below:

Home Energy Scotland

Withdrawn Statement of Intents

Ofgem guidance requires that all previously withdrawn Statement of Intents are published on our website. These should no longer be referred to for eligibility requirements, as all advice is contained in the version above.

• Download Statement of Intent ECO 4 - Version 1 [PDF - 161KB]
• Download Statement of Intent ECO 4 - Version 2 [PDF - 161KB]
• Download Statement of Intent ECO 4 - Version 3 [PDF - 168KB]

Dumfries and Galloway Council has put in place procedures and mechanisms that will allow ECO installers to access LA Flex under ECO-4. If you are an ECO installer looking to access LA Flex, please register your interest by emailing our managing agent at abs@energyagency.org.uk.  We will contact all registered installers via email. Any householders approached in regards to this scheme, should advise their contractor to submit their details via this email address.

The current list of accredited installers is below.

To find out more on this and other energy efficiency information please call Home Energy Scotland on 0808 808 2282.

Grants for lead pipe replacement

Call Scottish Water on freephone 0800 0778 778 if you believe there is lead present in your mains water supply. They can take a sample of water from your property to test and will inform you of the results.

• View further information on lead in water supplies

Maintaining your property

We offer advice on maintaining your property and keeping it in good repair.