The Government have updated the requirements required of Landlords with regards to tenant’s smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. It’s been over a month since this new legislation came into force on Saturday 1 October, and Landlords were expected to be compliant with the regulations from this date.
INSTALLATION
Landlords must continue to ensure that a working smoke alarm is fitted on every floor of their property where there is a room used wholly or partly as living accommodation. This requirement remains unchanged. However, the updated requirements mean that landlords must install a carbon monoxide alarm in all rooms that are used as living accommodation which contain a fixed combustion appliance such as gas boilers but excluding any room where there is only a gas cooker
TESTING
Landlords must also be able to demonstrate that alarms were working at the start of a tenancy. For example, by pressing the test button until the alarm sounds. We are advising landlords to ask their tenant to sign a receipt confirming the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are working or ensure they are in the inventory at check-in which is signed by the tenant. A new tenancy is a tenancy agreement that begins on or after 1 October 2022 and is not a renewal of a previous tenancy agreement.
AGENTS
As a Letting Agent we have made sure that we fully understand the Regulations and have made sure all the properties we manage have installed alarms which confirm to British Standards, and we make a commitment to repair existing alarms, as well as updating our property management practices accordingly.
The full government guidance is detailed here
If you have any questions please contact our Lettings Team today on 0121 362 7878 or email us enquiries@astonknowles.com