Why this exists
Statutory compliance is the part of FM that most often catches operators out, not because the obligations are obscure, but because they are distributed. Fire comes from one regulation, water from another, electrical from a third, lifting equipment from a fourth, and the record-keeping lives in different systems. The checklist below is a starting point for any Scottish commercial operator building a compliance calendar from scratch.
This is not legal advice. It's a starting point. Your specific obligations depend on your building type, occupancy, industry and risk profile. Check with a competent person and your insurer.
Fire safety
Fire safety in Scotland is governed by the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 and associated regulations. Most commercial operators need: a current fire risk assessment, weekly fire alarm tests, monthly emergency lighting tests, six-monthly fire alarm servicing, annual emergency lighting servicing, annual fire extinguisher servicing, and a current fire safety log book. Duty-holder responsibilities fall on whoever has control of the premises.
Water hygiene & legionella
Anywhere with hot and cold water systems, particularly with storage tanks, showers or cooling towers, needs a legionella risk assessment, monthly temperature monitoring, annual descaling and disinfection of shower heads, and periodic tank inspection. The duty is under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and HSE ACOP L8.
Electrical safety
Commercial premises need a periodic fixed-wire inspection (EICR), typically every five years for offices and more frequently for high-risk environments. Portable appliance testing (PAT) runs on a risk-assessed frequency, often annually for office equipment. Emergency lighting is usually part of the electrical calendar as well. Records must be retained and made available on request.
Gas safety
If you have any gas-fired equipment, you need annual gas safety inspection by a Gas Safe registered engineer. For landlord properties, an annual Landlord Gas Safety Record (LGSR, often called CP12) is mandatory. For commercial kitchens, commercial gas safety certificates run on a separate cycle.
Asbestos
Any building constructed or refurbished before 2000 needs an asbestos management survey and register, and a management plan for any materials identified. The duty-holder is whoever has repair and maintenance obligations under the lease.
Lifting equipment (LOLER)
Lifts, hoists, lifting platforms and other lifting equipment need LOLER inspections: typically six-monthly for passenger lifts and annually for goods lifts and lifting tackle. Records must be retained for the life of the equipment.
Accessibility
Under the Equality Act 2010, commercial premises open to the public need to consider reasonable adjustments for disabled access. This isn't a pass/fail test. It is an ongoing duty to assess and improve. A condition survey against BS 8300 is a sensible starting point.
HMO and landlord obligations
HMOs and private rented properties have additional obligations: EICR, gas safety (CP12), smoke and heat alarms to Scottish standard, and licensing requirements under the local authority HMO regime.
Record-keeping
All of the above need documented evidence: certificates, test records, log books and remediation actions. The commonest audit failure isn't that the tests didn't happen. It is that the records can't be produced on demand. A good FM provider holds all of this against the building and produces it on request, automatically.
Key takeaways
- Fire safety in Scotland is regulated under the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005
- Water hygiene runs on monthly, annual and periodic cycles depending on the system
- EICR typically every five years, PAT risk-assessed
- Asbestos management applies to any pre-2000 building
- The record-keeping is what fails audits, not the testing