Medway Landlords Guide To Extended Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms Regulation

The government has confirmed an extension to the regulations for smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, including requiring landlords to install a smoke alarm in social rented homes and private and social landlords to install carbon monoxide alarms in any room where a fixed combustion appliance is used.

The government has confirmed its plans to amend the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015, following a consultation on the government's proposals to extend regulations on domestic smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in both social and private rented accommodation. The new regulations will require smoke alarms in all social rented homes, carbon monoxide alarms in all rented properties with gas boilers or fires, and fixed combustion devices in all rooms - plus all landlords will be required to repair faulty alarms once they are notified of any problem.

Making smoke alarms mandatory in the social rented sector
Under the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015, private sector landlords have been required to install at least one smoke alarm in rooms used entirely or partially as living accommodation, and to ensure that the alarms are in working order at the start of each tenancy. A 2018 review of the regulations found that they had "a positive impact on the number of alarms installed," and that they should be expanded to cover both the private and social rented sectors.

Under the expanded regulations, social landlords will be required to install at least one smoke alarm in any room used wholly or partly as living accommodation, and to ensure that the alarms are in proper working order on the first day of each new tenancy. Tenants will then be responsible for testing these alarms on a monthly basis because requiring landlords to do so would be "too burdensome."

Carbon monoxide alarms must be installed at the same time as fixed combustion appliances of any fuel type (excluding gas cookers)
Under Building Regulations Approved Document J, private sector landlords have been required to install a carbon monoxide alarm in any room used wholly or partly as living accommodation and containing a solid-fuel burning appliance since 2015. As with smoke alarms, private landlords must ensure that the alarms are in working order at the start of each tenancy. The statutory guidance will be changed so that carbon monoxide alarms must be installed when fixed combustion appliances of any fuel type are installed (excluding gas cookers). These requirements apply to installations in new and existing homes, whether they are privately or socially rented or owned. The positioning of alarms and the repair of faulty alarms will also be updated.

Carbon monoxide alarms must be installed in any room with a fixed combustion appliance of any fuel type.
An amendment to the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015 will require both private and social landlords to install a carbon monoxide alarm in any room used as living accommodation where there is a fixed combustion appliance of any fuel type, in addition to proposing that carbon monoxide alarms be installed at the same time as fixed combustion appliances (excluding gas cookers). As with smoke alarms, landlords must ensure that carbon monoxide alarms are in working order on the first day of each new tenancy, and must repair or replace any faulty carbon monoxide alarms as soon as they become aware of a problem.

This article is only meant to be a guide. Go to gov.uk for more information on the proposals.

What we will be doing is to start to roll out dropping off carbon monoxide to all our properties.