Scottish Gas and Shelter Scotland have announced a five-year partnership as part of a campaign to improve quality of living and safety standards in Scottish households.

'Better Homes for Britain' is a three-point, UK-wide plan set up by UK housing charity Shelter to improve the standard of 1m homes in the UK private rented sector.

The role of Scottish Gas will be to provide advice on insulation, plumbing, boilers, electrical safety, carbon monoxide alarms and warmth and safety.

Shelter says the number of private rented dwellings in Scotland now makes up 290,000 households, or 11% of all Scotland’s housing: a number expected to increase to 20%.

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The charity says privately rented dwellings are about three times more likely to have a 'poor' National Home Energy Rating (NHER) when compared to owner-occupied dwellings.

Kevin Roxburgh, Managing Director of Scottish Gas, said: "Dilapidated properties with dangerous or inefficient old boilers and inadequate insulation are far too prevalent in the private rental sector. We need a culture of energy efficiency and standards need to be raised, backed up by legislation."

Graeme Brown, Director of Shelter Scotland, said: "A lack of affordable housing and the difficulties facing young people today in getting on the property ladder mean renting is now a long-term way of life for more and more families across the country.

"With these increasing levels of demand, it is totally unacceptable that so many of our rented properties are still not meeting the basic standards families should be able to expect in their home. At Shelter Scotland we see so many shocking examples of families forced to live in homes that are damp, in appalling condition or even unsafe to live in."

(IT)