Smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors: what landlords are actually required to do
Smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors are one of those areas where the legal requirement is clear, the stakes are high, and the practical detail is murkier than most landlords realise. Getting this wrong isn't just a compliance failure — it's a failure with potentially serious consequences. So let's go through it properly.
Smoke alarms: what the law requires
Since October 2022, landlords in England have been required to install smoke alarms on every storey of a rental property that is used as living accommodation. That's every floor, not just the floor with the bedroom.
Alarms must be in working order at the start of each new tenancy. After that, the day-to-day responsibility for testing them sits with the tenant — but as the landlord, you need to be able to demonstrate that they were working when the tenancy began. The simplest way to do this is to test them on the day of check-in and record it in the inventory.
The regulations don't currently specify a particular type of alarm — ionisation or optical, mains-wired or battery — but the guidance is clear that a battery alarm with a replaceable battery is not ideal for long-term rental use. A sealed long-life battery alarm (typically rated 10 years) or a mains-wired interlinked system is a better choice and less likely to result in a tenant removing it because the battery ran flat.
Carbon monoxide detectors: where they're required
Since October 2022, CO detectors have been required in any room used as living accommodation that contains a fixed combustion appliance — gas boilers, gas fires, open fireplaces, oil boilers, and wood-burning stoves. Crucially, gas cookers are excluded from the requirement, but a gas boiler in a kitchen still triggers it.
The detector must be in working order at the start of the tenancy. The same principles around testing and inventory recording apply.
CO is colourless, odourless, and lethal in sufficient concentration. A functioning detector is genuinely life-saving, which is why the penalties for non-compliance — a remedial notice followed by a civil penalty of up to £5,000 — are less significant than the actual risk of not having one.
What type of CO detector?
Audible alarm only. The regulations specify that the device must include an alarm that sounds — a display-only model that shows CO levels without sounding an alarm doesn't comply. Combination smoke and CO detectors can be used where appropriate, but make sure any combination device is actually rated for CO detection and not just smoke.
What landlords often get wrong
The most common gaps we see are: a storey without a smoke alarm (often a lower ground floor or a loft conversion that's used as a bedroom), a CO detector that's been there since 2018 and hasn't been tested, and a battery alarm where the tenant removed the battery because it was beeping at 3am and no one replaced it.
We check all of this as part of a pre-tenancy inspection. If you want to be certain your property is compliant before a new tenancy starts, it's one of the things we can include in a visit. Call us on 020 7993 8277 or email info@lapps.co.uk.
Legal disclaimer: The information in this post is provided for general guidance purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Regulations can change and individual circumstances vary — we recommend checking the latest government guidance or seeking professional advice if you have specific concerns. LAP Property Services accepts no liability for any decisions made in reliance on this content.
LAP Property Services provide property maintenance, electrical, gas, and compliance services to landlords and letting agents across London. Visit www.lapps.co.uk to find out more.