Smoke alarm regulations for landlords

We all know the importance of smoke alarms and smoke detectors. They’re there for a reason and even if we never give them a second thought, we would certainly hate to be without them. Safe to say, it’s a pretty serious subject.

Now, we’re all aware of the general dos and don’ts with smoke detectors (i.e. DON’T take out the batteries when it starts doing that annoying beeping sound - that could lead to serious trouble!) But new regulations have come into play recently, one that both tenants and landlords need to make themselves aware of.

From this month (1st October 2015), all landlords are now required to install working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors into their rented properties. The new law means that a smoke detector must be placed on each floor of the property and a carbon monoxide detector must be placed in every room where there is a solid fuel burning appliance (like a gas fire or boiler). This can include your kitchen or hallway.

Of course, any ol’ person can make sure an alarm is in the property so to really enforce these rules, the law states the alarms must also be in good working condition and tested regularly to make sure they are in order. So those days of moving into a property with a dodgy alarm are long gone.

Obviously, it’s up to landlords to make sure all these new rules are in check, however, using a letting agent to manage your property means they’ll take care of all the installation and check-ups for you – just another little thing we do to provide extra peace of mind.

However, for all you hands-on landlords, the responsibility lies with you and you alone. And remember, these new laws will be enforced by local authorities, and they have every right to serve remedial orders to landlords who do not stick to the rules. They even have the power to enter a property within 48 hours if they have reason to believe there aren’t decent alarms fitted. Scary stuff. In very extreme cases, they can even fine landlords up to £5,000 if they don’t obey the laws of smoke detectors. If that’s not reason enough to sort out your smoke alarms, we don’t know what is.

It goes without saying that these laws are important and shouldn’t be seen as just extra work for landlords. These new rules are in place for a reason and not complying with the law could potentially put lives at risk. Be safety aware and always, always, ALWAYS check your alarms. You’ll thank us later.

Don't sweat the small stuff, we're here to do that for you. Here at Ascend, we always keep up to date with the regulations for our landlords so they can sleep soundly at night knowing their properties are in capable, law-abiding hands. If you’re looking for an agent to manage your property, contact us today on 0161 637 8336.