When this bill was presented to the House of Lords last week peers raised a number of concerns, not least the fact the regulations are due to come into force on October 1st – just 3 weeks away. Some wanted the regulations, which only apply to the Private Rented Sector (PRS), extended to cover social housing and owner occupiers, while others wanted the CO detectors to be installed in all PRS properties.
Yesterday Parliament approved the regulations as drafted.
From 1 October 2015 all landlords in England will be required to install smoke alarms on every floor of their property, and test them at the start of every tenancy.
AND
Landlords need to install carbon monoxide alarms in high risk rooms – such as those where a solid fuel heating system is installed. Sanctions for not doing so include up to a £5,000 civil penalty.
THERE IS NO ‘GRACE’ PERIOD FOR LANDLORDS MEANING ALL PROPERTIES NEED TO BE CHECKED NOW!
Guidance has been published by DCLG for both landlords and local authorities. Both sets of guidance can be found in the members area under Information Sheets for Landlords. The guidance for local authorities sets out the enforcement procedures.
Smoke And Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015 - Landlord Guidance from DCLG