The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations, which have been effective since 2015, are being amended to extend some of the rules in place. The amendment will apply from 1st of October, except in Wales where they will come into force from the start of December.
The changes will affect landlords, letting and estate agents and property managers across the country.
Changes for landlords
The new regulations state that all relevant landlords must:
- Ensure at least one smoke alarm is equipped on each storey of their homes where there is a room used as living accommodation. This has been a legal requirement in the private rented sector since 2015.
- Ensure a carbon monoxide alarm is equipped in any room used as living accommodation which contains a fixed combustion appliance (excluding gas cookers).
- Ensure smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms are repaired or replaced once informed and found that they are faulty.
Local authorities will be enforcing these new regulations and can impose a fine of up to £5,000 where a landlord fails to comply with a remedial notice.
Smoke alarms
There are no specific requirements listed in the regulations indicating the type of alarm that must be installed. An informed decision based on the needs of the property and tenants should be made and the alarm must be compliant with the British Standards BS 5839-6
Every story of the property that is used as living accommodation should have at least one smoke alarm installed and manufacturer guidelines should be followed when installing.
The local fire and rescue can be contacted for advice on smoke alarm installation.
Carbon monoxide alarm
Again, there are no specific requirements listed on the government website indicating the type of alarm to be installed however, they advise landlords should make an informed decision. All carbon monoxide alarms installed must be compliant with the British Standards BS 50291.
If installing battery powered alarms, the gov.uk website recommends ‘sealed for life’ batteries as opposed to alarms with replaceable batteries.
The regulations do not specify where alarms should be placed, however, any room which is used as living accommodation and contains a fixed combustion appliance (excluding gas cookers) should be fitted with a carbon monoxide alarm.
The alarm should be positioned at head height approximately 1-3 metres away from the appliance.
No grace period
The government website advises that there will be no grace period once the regulations come into force and all landlords are expected to be compliance from this date.
Successful Fire Claims
We handle numerous fire damage claims at Aspray, here is just a selection of properties that we have reinstated. Click on the picture to find out more about the claim.
