New rules ( Law ), smoke alarms in Scotland

A £200 bill is hardly a showstopper to the vast majority of home owners. It's a drop in the ocean compared to the kind of bill a house can throw at anybody, without blinking... And, for tenants, it's the landlord's responsibility.

Also, they don't have to be mains, long-life lithium batteries are allowed. They also don't have to be physically wire-connected, radio is fine.

A very quick google finds this pack, sufficient for most two-floor houses, for just over £100, easily DIY fitted.
www.safefiredirect.co.uk/smoke-fire-gas-detection/smoke-heat-detectors/scottish-regulation-alarms/firehawk-alarms/firehawk-radio-interlink-smoke-heat-alarm-kit-small.aspx

I agree with your points, but the standard requires a smoke alarm in the living room (or whichever other room you use most) as well as all halls and landings.  So most houses will need three.  This kit is £143.99: www.safefiredirect.co.uk/smoke-fire-gas-detection/smoke-heat-detectors/scottish-regulation-alarms/firehawk-alarms/firehawk-radio-interlink-sealed-battery-smoke-heat-alarm-kit.aspx.

adrianc Not according to the govt website linked to in the OP:

"What each home needs

By February 2022 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..."

as I understand it they have set aside £500,000 to help pay for this and with 1/2 the budget spent only 800 people have benefitted ie an average cost of £313 ( of course that will include fitting ). I do assume they mean 800 properties rather than people.

I agree though that heat / Smoke alarms should be fitted.

When I purchased this house one of the selling points for me was that it had linked mains powered alarms. when I moved in it was one of the issues that the alarms had gone. along with virtually every bulb, even though they were on the list to stay. I was advised by solicitor it would cost more to enforce the items being left rather than replace ( which does rather make the list pointless )

replacing the units was very easy as the bases had been left, and I guarantee that 99% of people could not sleep through them going off.

They've been part of building regs for damn near 30 years.

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/445630/Chapter_2_Smoke_alarms_and_fire_safety_measures_in_the_home.pdf
"Since June 1992, building regulations (Part B)3 require that every new build home must allow for mains wired, interconnected smoke alarms to be installed"