Update October 2015:
- This is now law from the 1st October
- A property must have a smoke alarm on each habitable floor. it can be battery operated and does not have to be mains wired.
- A property must have a carbon monoxide alarm where there are solid fuel burning appliances i.e log burners and open fires. Not where Gas boilers are fitted but we do recommend they are. it can be battery operated and does not have to be mains wired.
The requirement was for a smoke alarm to be fitted on each floor and a carbon monoxide alarm to be fitted where there are solid fuel burning appliances and were due to come into force on the 1st October with fines of up to £5000 for non-compliance.
The draft regulations had not been approved by Parliament and the house of Lords have threw them out saying the regulations were poorly worded and not enough had been done to inform agents and landlords.
There was and still is confusion as at first it was believed that carbon monoxide detectors would be required where there were gas boilers and fires but this is not the case but something we felt should be included.
We would recommend that all landlords proceed as if the regulations will come into force from the 1st October as this is still a possibility.
Our previous article explaining the regulations can be found here Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms October 2015
