Compliance
Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms: the rules that can block a tenancy
3 min read
Most of what an inventory records is a matter of judgement — condition, cleanliness, wear. Alarms are not. Whether a rented home has the legally required smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, in the right places and in working order, is a yes-or-no question with a legal answer. Get it wrong and the tenancy should not proceed. This is compliance, not opinion, and it is worth knowing exactly where the line is.
What the law requires in England
Under the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022, which came into force on 1 October 2022 in England, a landlord must ensure:
- At least one smoke alarm on every storey of the property used as living accommodation.
- A carbon monoxide alarm in any room used as living accommodation that contains a fixed combustion appliance — for example a gas boiler, a wood burner or a coal fire.
- That all required alarms are in working order at the start of every new tenancy.
- That a faulty alarm is repaired or replaced once the landlord is told it is not working.
One important exclusion: gas cookers and hobs do not trigger the carbon monoxide requirement — the rule targets fixed heating and hot-water appliances. Wales has its own equivalent duties under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act, and Scotland has separate, stricter standards, so check the rules for the nation the property is in.
Why it's a blocking issue, not a snag
A worn carpet delays nobody. A missing smoke alarm is different: the property does not meet the legal standard for letting, and moving a tenant in anyway exposes the landlord to enforcement action and undermines their position in any later dispute. A missing or non-working alarm found at check-in should stop the clock — it needs fixing before the tenancy begins, not adding to a snagging list to sort out later.
Condition is a judgement call. Alarm compliance is a rule — and a failed rule blocks the let until it's fixed.
What testing at check-in does and doesn't prove
An alarm test at check-in confirms one thing: that the alarm has power and sounds when tested on the day. That is exactly what the regulations ask a landlord to ensure at the start of a tenancy. It is not a substitute for the wider safety regime — a valid Gas Safety certificate, electrical checks and the rest sit alongside it. A good check-in records the presence, location and working state of every alarm, dated, so there is a clear record that the property met the standard on day one.
Because this is a rule rather than a judgement, it should be enforced like one. InventorySafe treats a missing or failed required alarm as a blocking flag — the facts are captured on video, deterministic checks decide compliance, and the tenancy cannot be signed off as ready until the gap is closed.
Common questions
- How many smoke alarms does a rented property need?
- In England, at least one smoke alarm on every storey of the property used as living accommodation, and they must be working at the start of each new tenancy. Many landlords fit them in hallways and landings to cover escape routes.
- Where is a carbon monoxide alarm required in a rental?
- In any room used as living accommodation that contains a fixed combustion appliance, such as a gas boiler, wood burner or coal fire. Gas cookers and hobs are excluded from the requirement in England.
- Whose responsibility is it to test the alarms?
- The landlord must make sure all required alarms are in working order at the start of the tenancy. During the tenancy the tenant is expected to test them regularly, and the landlord must repair or replace any alarm once told it is faulty.
- Can a tenancy start without the required alarms fitted?
- It should not. A property without the legally required smoke and carbon monoxide alarms does not meet the standard for letting in England, so a missing alarm found at check-in should be fixed before the tenant moves in rather than treated as a minor snag.