Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm Regulations for Landlords

A Simple Obligation That Saves Lives

Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are among the cheapest and most effective safety measures you can install in a rental property. They cost a few pounds each, take minutes to fit, and they save lives. As a private landlord in England, installing and maintaining these alarms is a legal requirement — and one of the simplest compliance obligations you will ever have to meet.

The rules were strengthened in October 2022, and the requirements are now clearer than ever. If you are not already fully compliant, this guide will tell you exactly what you need to do. These rules form part of the broader fire safety regulations for rental properties that every private landlord in England must follow. The government has published an explanatory booklet for landlords covering these requirements in detail.

Smoke and CO alarms are the most cost-effective safety investment a landlord can make. There is no excuse for not having them.

Key Requirements at a Glance

• You must install one smoke alarm on every storey of the property that contains living accommodation. For a two-storey house, that means at least two smoke alarms; for a three-storey property, at least three.
• You must install a carbon monoxide alarm in every room containing a fixed combustion appliance (except gas cookers). This includes rooms with gas boilers, gas fires, wood-burning stoves, or oil-fired heaters.
• All alarms must be in working order at the start of each tenancy. You must test every alarm on the day the tenant moves in and keep a record of the test.
• Penalties for non-compliance reach £5,000 per breach under the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022. Local authorities can impose this penalty if you fail to comply with a remedial notice.
• All properties let on or after 1 October 2022 must comply. Any property relet after this date must have compliant alarms installed before the tenant moves in.

The Legal Framework

The primary legislation is the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022, which updated the original 2015 Regulations. These apply to all properties let under an assured tenancy in England — which covers the vast majority of private rentals.

Key Deadline: All properties must comply from 1 October 2022 onward. Any property relet after this date must have alarms installed before the tenant moves in. If you are currently mid-tenancy, the obligation applies when you next relet or when a new tenancy begins.

What Smoke and CO Alarms Must I Install?

Smoke Alarms

You must have at least one smoke alarm on every storey of the property that contains a room used as living accommodation. A "storey" includes any floor with a living room, bedroom, kitchen, dining room or similar — but a bathroom or toilet on its own does not count, and nor does a loft used only for storage.

The regulations specify the number and placement by storey rather than the type of alarm, but best practice (and most local fire services' guidance) is to fit alarms on escape routes — hallways and landings — so that smoke is detected wherever a fire starts. For peace of mind in larger or higher-risk properties, consider interlinked alarms, so that when one sounds, they all sound.

On alarm type, you have a choice between mains-wired (hard-wired) alarms and battery-powered units. If you use battery alarms, fit sealed long-life (typically 10-year) lithium units rather than ones with user-replaceable batteries — they remove the temptation for a tenant to remove a battery and they last the life of a typical tenancy.

Carbon Monoxide Alarms

You must install a carbon monoxide alarm in every room used as living accommodation that contains a fixed combustion appliance — for example a gas boiler, gas fire, wood-burning stove, or oil-fired heater. The 2022 amendment extended this to all fixed combustion appliances except gas cookers, which is the single biggest change most existing landlords need to act on.

Place the CO alarm in the same room as the appliance, following the manufacturer's instructions on height and distance — usually at head height and roughly 1–3 metres from the appliance. CO alarms work alongside, and do not replace, your annual gas safety certificate and electrical safety checks. Maintaining these certificates remains a separate obligation under your broader landlord compliance checklist.

How Often Must I Test the Alarms?

The regulations require that all alarms are in proper working order at the start of each new tenancy. In practice:

• Test every alarm on the first day of the tenancy (the day the new tenant takes occupation) and confirm it is working.
• Record the test — date, property, which alarms were tested, and the outcome. A signed line on the inventory or a dated photo is enough.
• After the start of the tenancy, responsibility for routine testing passes to the tenant, but you must repair or replace any faulty alarm the tenant reports to you as soon as reasonably practicable.

Penalties and the Remedial Notice Process

Enforcement sits with the local housing authority. If a council believes you are in breach, the process runs:

1. The authority serves a remedial notice specifying the breach and giving you 28 days to put it right.
2. If you comply within 28 days, no penalty follows.
3. If you do not comply, the authority can — with the tenant's consent — arrange the work itself and can impose a civil penalty of up to £5,000.

The £5,000 maximum is per breach, so a property missing several alarms can attract a substantial penalty for what would have cost a few pounds per unit to fix. Given how cheap alarms are, non-compliance is never worth the risk.

Best Practice Beyond the Minimum

• Fit heat alarms in kitchens. Standard smoke alarms can false-alarm from cooking; an interlinked heat alarm in the kitchen is good practice though not strictly required.
• Use interlinked alarms in HMOs and larger homes so a fire on one floor alerts everyone.
• Replace alarms at end of life. Even sealed units expire — note the replace-by date and diarise it.
• Give tenants written guidance at check-in on how to test alarms and what to do if one sounds.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many smoke alarms do I legally need?

At least one on every storey of the property that contains a room used as living accommodation. A two-storey house needs at least two; a three-storey property at least three. Bathrooms and storage-only lofts do not count as living-accommodation storeys.

Do I need a carbon monoxide alarm if I only have a gas cooker?

No. The requirement is a CO alarm in any room with a fixed combustion appliance — gas boilers, gas fires, wood-burners, oil heaters — but gas cookers are specifically excluded. If that room has no other combustion appliance, no CO alarm is legally required there (though one does no harm).

Who is responsible for testing the alarms during the tenancy?

You must ensure all alarms are working at the start of the tenancy and record the test. After that, day-to-day testing is the tenant's responsibility, but you must repair or replace any faulty alarm they report as soon as reasonably practicable.

What is the penalty for non-compliance?

A local authority can serve a remedial notice giving 28 days to comply. If you fail to act, it can impose a civil penalty of up to £5,000 and arrange the work itself.

Can I use battery alarms or do they have to be mains-wired?

Either is acceptable under the regulations. If you use battery alarms, fit sealed 10-year lithium units rather than ones with replaceable batteries.

This article is general guidance, not legal advice. Confirm the current statutory position and take professional advice on a specific property where needed.