LettingaProperty.com seeking to raise awareness of coming changes
Non-compliant landlords may face fines of up to £5,000
Changes apply to all social and private rented tenancies but many landlords currently unaware

Online lettings platform LettingaProperty.com is seeking to raise awareness among landlords and tenants of changes to the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations. The regulations have been in place since 2015, but are changing in October. From 1 October 2022, all tenancies in England (including unlicensed HMOs but excepting accommodation such as student halls, hotels and care homes) will need to comply with the amended regulations.

The regulations require at least one smoke alarm on each storey of the home that has a room used as living accommodation. This requirement isn’t new for private landlords, but will now apply to social landlords too. Landlords must also ensure there is a carbon monoxide alarm in any room that contains a fixed combustion appliance (such as log-burning stoves or gas or oil boilers but excluding gas cookers) and which is used as living accommodation.

Perhaps the biggest change for landlords is that they will be responsible for repairing or replacing any smoke and carbon monoxide alarms once they are informed by their tenant. Before the amended regulations, landlords are currently responsible for installing and testing the alarm at the start of the tenancy – but it is the tenant’s default responsibility to repair or replace it during the tenancy.

As of 1 October 2022, landlords will be responsible for this, though they will still rely on tenants to report issues.

All alarms must comply with British Standards BS 5839-6 (smoke alarms) and British Standards BS 50291 (carbon monoxide alarms), though it is up to landlords whether they equip mains or battery powered alarms. The government have advised that for battery-powered alarms, tenants should replace the batteries themselves. If the alarm still doesn’t work, or the tenant is unable to replace the batteries, they should report it to the landlord.