Contact us

Tag: smoke and carbon monoxide alarm act 2015

New Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarm Rules For Landlords

Posted on by prateek

The UK Government has extended the rules for domestic smoke and carbon monoxide alarms within all rented accommodation in England.

Following parliamentary approval, it will soon be mandatory for landlords to repair or replace smoke and carbon monoxide alarms once they have been informed that they are faulty, although testing throughout the duration of a tenancy will remain the resident’s responsibility.

Landlords will also have to ensure a carbon monoxide alarm is installed in any room containing there is a ‘fixed combustion appliance’ (including a gas boiler). Where a new appliance is installed a carbon monoxide alarm will be required to be installed by law. Gas cookers appliances are excluded from the new rules.

The most significant changes are:

  • carbon monoxide alarms will be mandatory in rooms with a fixed combustion appliance, excluding gas cookers
  • carbon monoxide alarms will also be mandatory when a new heating appliance is installed, excluding gas cookers
  • landlords will have to repair or replace alarms when a tenant reports that they are faulty

“The revisions to the smoke and carbon monoxide detector regulations are both welcome and necessary to improve tenant safety.

“Private landlords have been required since 2015 to provide working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors where applicable in rented property, and the extension of the regulations to encompass gas boilers is a sensible amendment.”
Timothy Douglas, ARLA Propertymark

No fixed timescale has yet been set, but the government has confirmed it will amend the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015 as soon as parliamentary time allows.

With landlords now needing to comply with nearly 170 pieces of law, it has never been more important for your tenancy to be managed by a knowledgeable, professional and regulated agency. 

Reside is an award-winning independent letting agent in Bath. Please get in touch if you would like to discuss any aspect of letting or managing your property; we would love to hear from you.

Alarm Bells For Landlords: new legislation just a week away

Posted on by prateek

New regulations enforcing the provision of smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in privately rented properties are now just one week away. After several months of speculation and debate, the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Act 2015 was finally passed by Parliament on the 14th of September – leaving landlords just two and a half weeks to ensure their properties meet the new requirements.

From the 1st of October 2015, landlords will be required to supply and fit at least one smoke alarm on every storey of their property which is used as living accommodation, even if that storey only includes a bathroom or lavatory. Carbon monoxide alarms must also be present in any room containing a solid fuel burning appliance, such as a coal or wood burning fire. These alarms must be tested by the landlord at the start of each new tenancy to ensure they are still in working order.

As the legislation currently stands, Landlords are not obliged to fit carbon monoxide alarms in rooms with gas or oil appliances. We at Reside, however, have advised our landlords to supply CO alarms where gas appliances are present; whilst the legislation does not make this mandatory, it does state that ‘reputable landlords’ are expected to supply carbon monoxide alarms in these circumstances.

The Department for Communities’ guidelines make it very clear that no grace period will be permitted for landlords who have not acted to ensure their property is compliant, and hefty fines of up to £5,000 will be levied against those who do not take the necessary steps.

An explanatory handbook written by the Department for Communities explains exactly what landlords must do to ensure compliance, and can be found here.