Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations come into force on 1st October 2022

With a month until the Regulations come into force in England, are your properties ready?

All properties must have new alarms installed which confirm to British Standards, and repair existing alarms accordingly. The new requirements come into force on 1 October 2022. Landlords are expected to be compliant with the regulations from that date.

What you need to do - installations

From 1 October 2022, 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, as part of their fire safety precautions. From 1 October 2022, 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.

What you need to do - 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. It is advisable to ask the 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.

Guidance is available to further support you in preparing for the changes. They are not an authoritative interpretation of the law but intended as a general guide to help you understand and comply with the Regulations.