Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Detectors
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From 1st October 2015, regulation was passed that all rental properties require Landlords to install smoke and carbon monoxide alarms as required
Smoke Detectors
• Minimum of one smoke alarm per floor must be installed.
• Tenants must test smoke alarms are in working order on a regular basis (e.g., suggested once a month).
• It is the responsibility of a tenant to ensure the working order of a smoke alarm (e.g., changing batteries)
• Tenant is responsible for reporting if a battery change does not work or is mains-fed unit is not working.
• *Heat detectors can often be mistaken for smoke alarms, these are not a suitable replacement.
Carbon Monoxide Detectors
• Required in any room with a solid fuel appliance (e.g., open fire, wood burner etc.).
• Not required for gas appliances (e.g., gas hob), but is a recommendation.
• Should be situated 1 to 3 metres away from the potential source of carbon monoxide and are recommended to be at head height.
• It is the responsibility of the tenant to ensure these are in working order (e.g., suggested to test once a month).
• A tenant is responsible for reporting if a carbon monoxide detector is not working.
Why is it so important?
• It is the responsibility of the Landlord and their Agent to ensure a property is compliant with current legislation.
• To ensure the health and safety of the tenant.
• There is a penalty of up to £5,000 and/or a prison sentence for any landlord found not to be compliant.
• FAILURE TO REMAIN COMPLIANT MAY RESULT IN LOSS OF LIFE.
• Charges can be brought against the Agent as well as the Landlord, as the Landlord has employed the services of an Agent.
• Any result in loss of life, due to non-compliance with this regulation could lead to charges as serious as manslaughter for a Landlord.
What needs to be done?
• It is a legal requirement for the Landlord, and therefore the Agent, to ensure both smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are present and working at the start of each new tenancy.
• Smoke alarms: ideally situated in a circulation space such as hallway/landing.
• If an alarm is sounding a periodic ‘beep’ this will indicate the battery requires replacement.
– Mains-fed alarms will also have a back-up battery that may make this sound.
– Mains-fed alarms will require an electrician to attend to carry out battery or entire unit replacements.
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