Smoke and carbon monoxide alarm rules for landlords

Working smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms are cheap, simple and save lives. They are also a legal requirement for most private lets in England. This guide covers exactly what the regulations require, who is responsible for what, and how councils enforce the rules.

The regulations

The rules are in the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015, which came into force on 1 October 2015. They were strengthened by the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022, which came into force on 1 October 2022. The 2022 changes widened the CO alarm rule and added a duty to repair faulty alarms. They also extended the rules to social housing landlords.

Smoke alarms: one on every storey

Landlords must make sure that at least one smoke alarm is fitted on every storey of the property that has a room used wholly or partly as living accommodation. The government guidance makes clear that a bathroom or toilet counts as living accommodation, so a storey with only a bathroom still needs an alarm. A hallway or landing is a common, sensible position.

The regulations do not say which type of alarm to use. Battery-powered alarms (ideally with sealed ten-year batteries) and mains-wired alarms both meet the regulations, although newer buildings may need mains-wired alarms under building regulations. More alarms than the legal minimum, and interlinked alarms, give tenants earlier warning, and many fire services recommend them.

Carbon monoxide alarms: by fixed combustion appliances

Since 1 October 2022, landlords must make sure a CO alarm is fitted in any room used as living accommodation that contains a fixed combustion appliance, other than a gas cooker. Before that date the rule only covered solid fuel appliances, like wood burners and coal fires.

In practice, this now includes:

• gas boilers, including those in kitchens and bedrooms;
• gas fires;
• oil-fired boilers;
• wood burners, multi-fuel stoves and open coal fires.

Gas cookers are specifically excluded, but a CO alarm in a kitchen with a gas cooker does no harm. The guidance suggests positioning CO alarms at head height, roughly one to three metres from the appliance, and following the manufacturer's instructions. A boiler in a cupboard or garage that is not part of the living accommodation may not legally need an alarm, but fitting one is good practice.

Testing on day one of each tenancy

The landlord, or an agent on their behalf, must check that every required alarm is in proper working order on the day a new tenancy begins. "New tenancy" here means a tenancy starting on or after 1 October 2022, including renewals.

The simplest way to prove you did it is to test each alarm at check-in with the tenant present, and get them to sign the inventory or check-in report showing the alarms were tested and working. A dated photo of each alarm helps too.

After the first day, tenants are encouraged to test alarms themselves regularly, for example monthly, and to report any problems. The government guidance suggests landlords make this clear in the tenancy information.

Repairs: as soon as reasonably practicable

Since 1 October 2022, if a tenant (or someone acting for them) reports that an alarm may not be working, the landlord must check it and, if it is faulty, repair or replace it as soon as reasonably practicable. Keep a record of when the report came in and when you fixed it. Keeping a spare alarm to hand makes this easy.

Which lets are covered?

The rules apply to most private residential tenancies in England, including assured periodic tenancies under the Renters' Rights Act 2025. The schedule to the regulations excludes some types of accommodation, including:

• lodgers who share accommodation with the landlord or the landlord's family;
• long leases of seven years or more, and shared ownership;
• student halls of residence;
• hostels, refuges, care homes, hospitals and hospices.

Licensed houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) are excluded from these regulations because similar alarm conditions are already in their licences under the Housing Act 2004. HMO landlords still have to meet the alarm requirements, just through their licence.

How the rules are enforced

Local councils enforce the regulations. If a council has reasonable grounds to believe a landlord is in breach, it must serve a remedial notice. The landlord then has 28 days to fit or repair the alarms. If they do not, and cannot show they took all reasonable steps to comply, the council must arrange for the work to be done (with the tenant's consent) and can impose a penalty of up to £5,000. Landlords can ask the council to review the penalty and then appeal to the First-tier Tribunal.

Alarms and your gas safety check

An alarm check sits naturally alongside your annual gas safety check. Gas engineers are not required by law to test alarms during a gas check, but if you add an alarm test to the same visit, you get an independent, dated record each year. That is useful evidence if anything is ever questioned. Our gas safety certificate guide explains how to time those visits.

A simple alarm checklist

1. Walk each storey: is there a smoke alarm on every floor with living accommodation, including a floor with just a bathroom?
2. Find every fixed combustion appliance: boiler, gas fire, stove. Is there a CO alarm in each of those rooms?
3. Test every alarm on the day each new tenancy starts, and get it signed off on the check-in report.
4. Tell tenants how to test the alarms and how to report a fault.
5. Fix reported faults as soon as reasonably practicable, and record when.

How Severn LetSafe helps

We can add a smoke and CO alarm check to any gas safety visit for £15. The engineer tests each alarm and records the result alongside your gas safety certificate in your online vault. Some of our plans include alarm tests at included visits. Book a gas check with an alarm test.

Questions

Official sources

• The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015 (legislation.gov.uk)
• The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022 (legislation.gov.uk)
• GOV.UK: Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, explanatory booklet for landlords

Checked 16 October 2026. General guidance for England, not legal advice. See also all regulations & official sources.

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