Legislation Update – Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarms📚

I thought I’d just provide a quick update on Smoke & Carbon Monoxide alarms since the government is proposing a slight change to legislation. Current...

I thought I’d just provide a quick update on Smoke & Carbon Monoxide alarms since the government is proposing a slight change to legislation.

Current Rules:

Under the current rules, since 1 October 2015 landlords have needed to ensure that a smoke alarm is fitted on every floor of their property where there is a room used wholly or partly as living accommodation.

They also must put a carbon monoxide alarm in any room where solid fuel is burnt, such as wood, coal or biomass and including open fires. It does not include gas, oil or LPG. Landlords or agents must ensure that the alarms work at the start of each new tenancy

New Key Changes:

• Carbon monoxide alarms will be mandatory in rooms with a fixed combustion appliance (excluding gas cookers)
• Carbon monoxide alarms will also be mandatory upon installation of any heating appliance (excluding gas cookers) in all tenures through building regulations
• Private landlords will be expected to repair or replace alarms once informed that they are faulty

This means any rooms containing gas fires or boilers are now covered (I’m not entirely sure why they didn’t do this originally) and any smoke alarms when found to be faulty need to be replaced (again this seems to have been oversight when common sense says this should be a requirement).

At NGU we’ve always put carbon monoxide alarms in rooms containing gas appliances (accept cookers) and also check and replace faulty alarms during all reviews.

So we already had you covered! But if you’re not managed by NGU, we’d advise implementing the above before it becomes law.

At NGU it’s our job to make sure YOU and YOUR tenants stay safe.

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• Contact us today by phone or email to move your property to us.
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• We’ll begin the process of maximising your income and wealth.