Alarm rules look trivial next to gas and electrics, which is exactly why they catch landlords out. They're cheap to comply with and carry a penalty of up to £5,000 if you don't — the worst value-for-risk mistake in the whole compliance list.
The requirements
- At least one smoke alarm on every storey used as living accommodation.
- A carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a fixed combustion appliance — a boiler, wood burner or gas fire (gas cookers are excluded).
- All alarms must be working at the start of every new tenancy.
- You must repair or replace a faulty alarm as soon as a tenant reports it.
The bit landlords miss
Two things trip people up: forgetting CO alarms in rooms with a fixed appliance (not just where a boiler is obvious), and ignoring the duty to act fast once a tenant reports a fault. "Working at the start of the tenancy" is not the end of your responsibility.
Good practice beyond the minimum
- 1Fit alarms in escape routes and landings, not just where the rules strictly require.
- 2Prefer sealed long-life or mains-wired alarms to cut battery call-outs.
- 3Test and log alarms at every inspection and check-in.
- 4Record the date a tenant reports a fault and the date you fix it.
How Rentwire helps
When a tenant reports a dead alarm, the clock starts — and a paper trail proving you acted is your defence. Rentwire logs the report, the fix, and routine alarm checks against each property, so a faulty-alarm complaint becomes a tracked maintenance ticket with dates, not a vague memory.
This article is general information for UK landlords and letting agents, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules change and individual circumstances differ — check the latest guidance from GOV.UK or a qualified professional before acting.