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Volume 4
Chapter 12 Facilities For Cooking Food
12.1. A house meets the tolerable standard if there are satisfactory facilities for the cooking of food within the house.
Introduction
12.2. Everyone should have facilities for cooking food inside their house. This is one of the more straightforward elements of the tolerable standard to assess, and this chapter gives practical step-by-step guidance on how to do this. Assessors should use this guidance alongside their experience to make sensible judgements.
12.3. This element of the tolerable standard is directly linked to requirements covered in other chapters of this guidance. This includes electrical installations, ventilation, and in particular sink with hot and cold water which is important for hygiene in the preparation of food. We provide more detail on assessing the suitability of a cooker location below. Those using the tolerable standard should bear in mind the advice in the other chapters of this guidance when assessing a house on this element.
Legislation
12.4. The tolerable standard has always included the requirement for there to be satisfactory facilities for the cooking of food inside a house. The Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 has not changed this.
Definitions
12.5. Satisfactory facilities: An assessor should consider this element in terms of the minimum facilities needed to allow an occupier to cook food safely within the house. An assessor should not judge a house on the presence or otherwise of cooking appliances, but on the ability of the house to support such activity safely.
12.6. Within the house: A cooking appliance must be able to be installed inside the main living area of the house. This means that an occupier should not have to go outside, or through someone else's property, to reach the cooking facilities.
Making the assessment
12.7. The flow-chart below will help guide an assessor through the process of determining whether the house meets this element of the tolerable standard:
12.8. An assessor should consider the following information in trying to answer each of these questions:
Is there a fixed power source suitable for operating a cooking appliance?
12.9. An assessor should look for a fixed power source that an occupant could use to operate a cooking appliance in the house. This can be:
- a fixed electrical power point suitable for a standard electrical cooker; or
- a mains or Liquefied Petroleum Gas ( LPG) gas point, capable of being connected to the supply and switched on; or
- an oil supply.
12.10. Where there is no fixed power source available, the house will be below tolerable standard. If the power source is oil or solid fuel, the cooker must be present, permanently connected to a flue, and there must be suitable and safe storage for the fuel. Where this is not the case, the house is below tolerable standard.
12.11. An assessor should wherever possible ensure that a cooker, if present in the house, is connected to an appropriate power source. If the cooker is powered by electricity, it must be connected to a fixed electrical power outlet suitable for a standard electrical cooker. An assessor should refer to the chapter of this guidance covering electrical installations.
Is the power source in a suitable location for a cooker?
12.12. In most cases, a house will have a kitchen in which there will be a cooking appliance installed. However, on some occasions the house may not have a kitchen and an assessor will need to judge whether the house satisfies the tolerable standard for this element. The presence or otherwise of a kitchen is not a factor in making the assessment. The issue is whether the house has an appropriate space to locate a cooking appliance.
12.13. A cooker should not be located under a stair, in a cupboard off a room, in a garage, or anywhere that requires the occupier to go outside or through another person's house to access it. A house where the power source for a cooker is located in any of these places will normally be below tolerable standard. A cooker should be positioned in the house close to a sink with hot and cold water. This is necessary because a sink should be available to allow the occupants to prepare food hygienically.
12.14. Assessors should consider each situation they observe in context and use their judgement to decide whether the location is suitable or not.
Is there sufficient space to use the cooker safely?
12.15. An assessor should consider the suitability of the location of a space for a cooking appliance primarily in terms of safety. The room should be large enough to allow the user to work safely at a cooker, including the handling of hot food. The floor in front of it should be clear so that the oven door can open fully. The location should be properly ventilated and an assessor should refer to the chapter of this guidance that provides advice on ventilation.
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