Since 1 October 2022, it has been a legal requirement for domestic Landlords (both social and private rented sector) to ensure that a carbon monoxide alarm is supplied in any room used as living accommodation which contains a fixed combustion appliance such as a gas heater or boiler (excluding gas cookers).
6th March 2023
Salma Crisp BSc(Hons) MRICS
From that date, all residential landlords must:
1. Ensure at least one smoke alarm is equipped on each storey of their homes where there is a room used as living accommodation. This has been a legal requirement in the private rented sector since 2015.
2. Ensure a carbon monoxide alarm is equipped in any room used as living accommodation which contains a fixed combustion appliance (previously this requirement was only for solid fuel burning appliances).
3. Ensure smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms are repaired or replaced once informed and found that they are faulty.
The requirements are enforced by local authorities who can impose a fine of up to £5,000 where a landlord fails to comply with a remedial notice.
The full regulations can be found at Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2022 and should also be read in conjunction with other relevant laws regarding fire and carbon monoxide safety in the home, including Housing Act 2004, the Fire Safety Act 2021 and the Building Safety Act 2022.
Our Property Tectonics asset management system, Lifespan Housing, provides comprehensive management information and analysis tools, and includes asset information on each home such as building attributes, condition and maintenance information, cyclical maintenance, energy efficiency, Decent Homes analysis, housing health and safety rating (HHSRS), asbestos, Fire Risk Assessments, Asset Liability Register, Water Safety etc.
The software provides facilities to receive comprehensive property data mainly from stock condition surveys, and to analyse and interrogate the data at every query level providing reports on individual properties, groups and entire portfolios. Lifespan allows for an unlimited number of documents and photographs to be attached to individual attributes or against a property, and can be linked to a particular area such as Fire Risk Assessment.
It is a landlord’s responsibility to ensure that they are applying the relevant laws correctly, and as the key provisions of the Building Safety Act come into force on 1st April this year, the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022 requirements will be under even more scrutiny.
For further information regarding our Lifespan software, or advice on these regulations, please get in touch - contact us