Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm Rules for Landlords in England

Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm Rules for Landlords in England

Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms provide essential early warning when fire or dangerous gases are present. For landlords, ensuring that the correct alarms are installed and operational is also a legal responsibility.

The rules apply to most private and social rented homes in England. They cover how many smoke alarms a property needs, when carbon monoxide alarms are required, testing at the beginning of a tenancy and responsibility for faulty alarms.

This guide explains the current requirements and provides a practical checklist for landlords, letting agents and property managers across Newcastle, Gateshead and Tyne and Wear.

What Are the Current Landlord Alarm Requirements?

Under the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015, as amended in 2022, relevant landlords must:

• Provide at least one smoke alarm on every storey containing a room used wholly or partly as living accommodation.

• Provide a carbon monoxide alarm in every room used as living accommodation containing a fixed combustion appliance, excluding gas cookers.

• Ensure every prescribed alarm works on the day a new tenancy begins.

• Repair or replace a prescribed alarm once notified and it is found to be faulty.

The amended requirements have applied to relevant private and social landlords since 1 October 2022. Local housing authorities enforce the regulations and may impose a financial penalty of up to £5,000 when a landlord fails to comply with a remedial notice. ⁠Read the current government guidance for landlords and tenants.

These requirements should be considered alongside other fire-safety, housing and building regulations. Our guide to ⁠Part B of the Building Regulations explains some of the broader fire-safety considerations that may affect electrical installations and building work.

How Many Smoke Alarms Does a Rental Property Need?

A landlord must ensure that at least one smoke alarm is installed on every storey containing living accommodation.

For example, a typical two-storey house containing a living room and kitchen downstairs and bedrooms upstairs requires at least:

• One smoke alarm covering the ground floor.

• One smoke alarm covering the first floor.

A converted loft used as a bedroom, office or other living space may create an additional storey requiring smoke-alarm coverage. A basement containing living accommodation may also need its own alarm.

The regulations establish a minimum requirement. The layout, size, escape routes, occupancy and fire-risk assessment may indicate that additional alarms are appropriate.

One alarm per storey should not automatically be treated as the ideal design for every property.

What Counts as Living Accommodation?

Government guidance describes living accommodation as rooms used for the primary purposes of living or rooms where a person spends a significant amount of time.

For these regulations, bathrooms and lavatories are also classed as living accommodation. Halls and landings are classed as rooms.

This does not generally mean that a smoke alarm should be fitted directly inside a steamy bathroom. It means the storey containing the bathroom is treated as containing living accommodation and must have appropriate smoke-alarm coverage.

Smoke alarms are commonly positioned on ceilings within circulation spaces such as hallways and landings, following the alarm manufacturer’s instructions.

Where Are Carbon Monoxide Alarms Required?

A carbon monoxide alarm must be installed in every room used as living accommodation that contains a fixed combustion appliance, excluding gas cookers.

Examples of fixed combustion appliances include:

• Gas boilers.

• Oil-fired boilers.

• Gas fires.

• Oil-fired room heaters.

• Wood-burning stoves.

• Coal fires.

• Multi-fuel stoves.

A gas cooker by itself is excluded from this specific requirement. However, if the same kitchen also contains a gas boiler, a carbon monoxide alarm is required because of the boiler.

A purely decorative, non-functioning fireplace would not normally be treated as a fixed combustion appliance.

Carbon monoxide is colourless, odourless and tasteless. It can be produced when fuels such as gas, oil, wood or coal do not burn completely.

Where Should Carbon Monoxide Alarms Be Positioned?

The regulations require alarms in the relevant rooms but do not prescribe one exact mounting position for every installation.

The manufacturer’s instructions should always be followed.

Government guidance states that carbon monoxide alarms should generally be positioned at head height on a wall or shelf, approximately one to three metres from the potential source.

Positioning can vary depending on:

• Whether the appliance is in a kitchen, bedroom or living room.

• Whether the alarm is wall-mounted, ceiling-mounted or designed for a shelf.

• The ceiling height and room layout.

• The location of doors, windows and ventilation openings.

• The manufacturer’s tested installation requirements.

An alarm should not simply be placed wherever it is easiest. Incorrect positioning may delay its response or cause it to be damaged, obstructed or removed.

What Type of Smoke Alarm Must a Landlord Install?

The regulations do not stipulate that every property must use either a mains-powered or battery-powered smoke alarm.

Government guidance recommends choosing alarms based on the needs of the building and its occupants and selecting smoke alarms compliant with British Standard BS 5839-6.

Where battery-powered alarms are used, sealed-for-life models are recommended over alarms with replaceable batteries.

For many managed properties, mains-powered alarms with battery backup can provide a more robust arrangement. Interlinked alarms provide an additional benefit because activating one alarm causes the other connected alarms to sound.

However, whether mains power and interlinking are specifically required will depend on factors including:

• The age and construction of the property.

• Building Regulations applying to new work.

• The type of tenancy or licence.

• Whether the property is an HMO.

• The fire-risk assessment.

• Any requirements imposed by the local authority.

• The alarm category and system design.

Landlords should therefore avoid assuming that the basic one-alarm-per-storey rule represents the complete fire-alarm specification for every property.

What Type of Carbon Monoxide Alarm Is Required?

The regulations do not mandate mains-powered alarms in every case.

Government guidance recommends that landlords select an alarm suitable for the property and occupants and compliant with British Standard BS 50291.

Battery-powered carbon monoxide alarms should preferably use sealed-for-life batteries.

The alarm must be suitable for its intended location and installed in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. Landlords should also record the alarm’s expiry or replacement date because carbon monoxide sensors have a limited working life.

Must Alarms Be Tested at the Start of a Tenancy?

Yes. The landlord, or somebody acting on the landlord’s behalf, must ensure that every prescribed smoke and carbon monoxide alarm is working on the day a new tenancy begins.

Testing alarms several weeks before occupation does not provide the same evidence that they were working on the tenancy start date.

A practical handover procedure should include:

1. Visually inspecting each alarm.

1. Checking its manufacture or replacement date.

1. Operating its test button.

1. Confirming that interlinked alarms activate together, where applicable.

1. Recording the date, property and alarms tested.

1. Asking the tenant to acknowledge the test within the inventory or check-in record.

1. Providing the tenant with basic testing and fault-reporting instructions.

Government guidance says landlords are responsible for keeping evidence of when alarms were tested. A signed inventory is one possible way to demonstrate compliance.

Who Tests the Alarms During the Tenancy?

Tenants are advised to test their alarms regularly and replace ordinary user-replaceable batteries where appropriate.

Landlords should give tenants instructions explaining:

• How to operate the test button.

• How frequently the manufacturer recommends testing.

• What warning chirps or indicator lights mean.

• How to report a defective alarm.

• That alarms must not be covered, removed or disabled.

• What to do if an alarm activates.

Regular tenant testing does not remove the landlord’s repair obligations.

If an alarm remains defective after its battery has been replaced—or the tenant cannot replace the battery—the fault should be reported to the landlord or managing agent.

Who Must Repair a Faulty Alarm?

Once a landlord is informed that a prescribed alarm may be defective, the landlord must investigate and repair or replace it if it is found to be faulty.

Depending on the problem, this may involve:

• Replacing a failed battery.

• Replacing an expired alarm head.

• Repairing a damaged base.

• Restoring a missing mains supply.

• Repairing an interlinking fault.

• Replacing a defective radio-frequency base.

• Replacing an alarm that no longer responds to testing.

• Installing a suitable alarm where one is missing.

Reports of defective alarms should be treated promptly. Landlords and agents should retain records of the report, appointment, findings and completed repair.

Is a Heat Detector a Replacement for a Smoke Alarm?

No. Government guidance explicitly states that a heat detector is not a replacement for a smoke alarm.

Heat detectors are commonly installed in kitchens because they are less susceptible to false alarms from normal cooking fumes. They activate when a specified temperature or rate of temperature rise is detected.

A properly designed domestic alarm arrangement may therefore include:

• Smoke alarms in hallways and landings.

• A heat alarm in the kitchen.

• Carbon monoxide alarms in rooms containing relevant combustion appliances.

• Interlinking so that occupants throughout the property receive a warning.

The presence of a kitchen heat detector does not remove the minimum requirement for a smoke alarm on each relevant storey.

Do the Alarms Have to Be Interlinked?

The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm Regulations do not themselves specify that all alarms must be interlinked.

However, interlinking may be required or recommended under other applicable standards, Building Regulations, licence conditions or the fire-risk assessment.

Interlinked alarms provide an important practical advantage. If smoke is detected downstairs at night, the alarm on the landing or near the bedrooms also sounds.

Interlinking can be achieved using:

• Hard-wired interlinking conductors.

• Radio-frequency alarm bases.

• Manufacturer-approved wireless alarm systems.

Different alarm ranges may not be compatible. A replacement should therefore be checked against the existing bases, supply and interlinking system rather than selected solely because it physically fits.

Do the Rules Apply to HMOs?

The position for Houses in Multiple Occupation requires particular care.

Government guidance states that the regulations apply to unlicensed HMOs. Licensed HMOs are treated differently because HMO licensing obligations impose similar requirements.

An HMO may require a more comprehensive fire-detection system than an ordinary single-family rental property.

Requirements can depend on:

• The number of occupants and households.

• The number of storeys.

• The building layout.

• The type of HMO licence.

• The fire-risk assessment.

• Local-authority licence conditions.

• The required alarm-system grade and category.

• Whether communal areas are present.

Landlords should follow the specific requirements issued by the relevant local authority rather than assuming that one domestic smoke alarm on each storey will always be sufficient.

Are Specialist Alarms Required for Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing Tenants?

Landlords should consider the individual needs of their tenants.

Government guidance explains that specialist alarms using flashing lights or vibrating pads may be needed for residents who are deaf or hard of hearing. Landlords must also consider their duties under the Equality Act 2010.

An alarm that cannot effectively alert the person it is intended to protect may not provide a suitable solution.

Common Alarm Problems Found in Rental Properties

Some of the most frequent problems include:

• Missing alarm heads with bases left on the ceiling.

• Expired alarms that have exceeded their replacement date.

• Flat or removed batteries.

• Damaged alarm bases.

• Alarms painted over during decorating.

• Mains alarms with no electrical supply.

• Failed interlinking between smoke and heat alarms.

• Incompatible replacement alarms fitted to existing bases.

• Carbon monoxide alarms positioned incorrectly.

• Alarms removed because of repeated false activations.

• Kitchen smoke alarms installed where a suitable heat alarm would reduce unwanted activations.

• No test record from the beginning of the tenancy.

• Defects reported by tenants but not followed up.

Regular inspection and accurate property records help prevent these issues from being overlooked.

Do Smoke Alarms Get Checked During an EICR?

An Electrical Installation Condition Report assesses the safety and condition of the property’s fixed electrical installation.

Mains-powered smoke alarms may be visually considered as part of the installation, but an EICR is not a substitute for a dedicated fire-alarm inspection or for the landlord’s obligation to test prescribed alarms when a new tenancy begins.

The scope and limitations of an EICR should be checked carefully.

Landlords who also need help understanding electrical inspection results can read our guide on ⁠what to do after a failed EICR.

Landlord Alarm Checklist

Before a new tenancy begins, landlords and managing agents should confirm:

• Every relevant storey has a working smoke alarm.

• Every applicable room with a fixed combustion appliance has a carbon monoxide alarm.

• Each alarm is within its replacement date.

• Each alarm is securely installed.

• Mains supplies and battery backups are operational where fitted.

• Interlinked alarms activate correctly.

• Carbon monoxide alarms are positioned according to their instructions.

• The tenant’s needs have been considered.

• All alarms have been tested on the tenancy start date.

• The test has been recorded.

• The tenant knows how to test and report faults.

• A clear procedure exists for responding to defective alarms.

For broader guidance covering building fire safety, see our article on ⁠Understanding Part B of the Building Regulations.

Owners and managers of commercial premises or certain communal areas may also find our guide to ⁠emergency-lighting responsibilities useful.

Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm Services in Newcastle and Gateshead

Switch Electrical & Mechanical Services Ltd supports landlords, letting agents, homeowners and property managers throughout Low Fell, Gateshead, Newcastle upon Tyne and the wider Tyne and Wear area.

Our electricians can assist with:

• Smoke and heat alarm installation.

• Mains-powered alarms with battery backup.

• Compatible replacement alarm heads.

• Radio-frequency and hard-wired interlinking.

• Carbon monoxide alarms.

• Fault investigation.

• Replacement of expired or defective alarms.

• Testing of existing alarm arrangements.

• Electrical repairs to alarm supplies and bases.

• Ongoing support for managed property portfolios.

If an alarm is missing, damaged, expired or failing to interlink, we can inspect the existing arrangement and recommend an appropriate solution.