Absolutely. The purpose behind the building regulations is not the same as the reason a real person might choose to retro-fit something not required by the regs. n=1 proof, the last extractor fan I put in (other than new build) was specifically to remove smells from a small toilet with a window which was inconvenient to open. It did actually have a bath, but I didn't care about condensation. The house was kept warm enough for it not to matter.
Is there anything illegal about letting off some stink bombs and blaming it on your neighbour??
Can ye naw jist chib the bustard?
Owain
Here we are; the relevant provision is in the Scottish Tolerable Standard for housing (although other legislation may also apply):
6.22. For bathrooms, and other apartments, plus the kitchen, where there is no satisfactory openable window, they must have an alternative ventilation system. Normally this will be a mechanical device, such as an extractor fan, but in some cases an assessor will find other systems such as a passive stack type (where warm, moist air passes through a vent into an almost vertical duct and is expelled at an outlet on the roof). The device or system must vent directly to the outside and not into an adjacent apartment, circulation space or common access route, such as a tenement close.Housing (Scotland) Act 2006, Tolerable Standard
The tolerable standard is a "condemnatory" standard; a house that falls below it is not acceptable as living accommodation. Local authorities have a statutory duty and specific powers to deal with houses that fall below the tolerable standard (" BTS"). We explain the duty and powers in this chapter.
2.8. To meet the tolerable standard a house must comply with all the criteria. In other words, the assessment is a simple "pass" or "fail". If a house does not meet even one of the criteria, then it is BTS. 2.9. Housing (Scotland) Act 1987 s. 85(1) places a duty on every local authority to secure that all houses in their area which do not meet the tolerable standard are closed, demolished or brought up to the tolerable standard. This duty remains in force and subsequent legislation has not altered it. The Act does not restrict the duty to any specific tenure of housing.Therefore you can report your neighbour's house for being Below Tolerable Standard, and ask the council why they are not complying with the duty to bring it up to Tolerable Standard under the 1987 Act.
Owain
Seems a lot better in Scotland than England, although the English have tried to beef up LA powers. But a strangely unanimous Conservative party blocked it a couple of times:
I think you did!
You're welcome. That's what usenet is for...
Owain
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