Smoke & CO alarms

Under the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022, private and social landlords in England must:

• fit at least one smoke alarm on every storey used as living accommodation;
• fit a carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a fixed combustion appliance (excluding gas cookers);
• check alarms work at the start of each tenancy, and repair or replace them once told they're faulty.

The regulations allow battery alarms. HMO licences and fire risk assessments often ask for more, typically an interlinked mains system to BS 5839-6, and that's what we generally recommend for rented homes.

• Smoke alarms in hallways and landings, the escape routes, and in the main living room;
• A heat alarm in the kitchen, because smoke alarms there go off every time someone makes toast;
• Carbon monoxide alarms near boilers, wood burners and open fires;
• Ceiling-mounted, away from walls and corners, and not right next to a bathroom door where steam can trigger them.

Traditional systems are wired from a lighting circuit, with an interconnecting cable between alarms. Modern radio-interlinked mains alarms still need a mains supply to each alarm head, but they talk to each other wirelessly, which avoids lifting floors to run interlink cables. It's usually the neatest option in an occupied home.