Smoke and heat alarms in Harrow

What the rules ask of private landlords

Since 1 October 2022, private landlords in England must:

• fit a smoke alarm on each storey with a room used as living accommodation
• fit a carbon monoxide alarm in any room used as living accommodation that has a fixed combustion appliance, such as a boiler or wood burner (gas cookers are excluded)
• check the alarms work on the day a new tenancy starts
• repair or replace an alarm once told it is faulty

A licensed HMO has matching licence conditions, and the licence holder must give the council a declaration about the alarms when asked.

Smoke, heat or carbon monoxide?

Smoke alarms belong in hallways and on landings, on the escape route. Kitchens need heat alarms instead, because toast and steam set off smoke alarms, and a smoke alarm that keeps being disconnected protects no one. Carbon monoxide alarms go in rooms with a boiler, fire or stove that burns fuel. The right mix depends on the layout, and we suggest positions when we visit.

Mains-wired and interlinked

Mains-wired alarms run from the house supply with a battery as back-up, so a flat battery cannot silence them. Interlinked means that when one alarm detects smoke or heat, every alarm in the house sounds, so a fire in the kitchen wakes someone asleep upstairs. Radio-linked models need a supply at each alarm but no cable between them, which avoids lifting floors. During a rewire or a board change is the easiest time to fit a hard-wired system.

Alarms and your EICR

An EICR looks at the circuit that feeds mains-wired alarms but does not test the alarms themselves. Check them with the test button regularly and replace them by the date printed on the unit.