From October 2015, if you're a private landlord you will be bound by law to install one smoke alarm on each storey of your rental property. In addition, you'll be required to:
- install one carbon monoxide alarm in any room that contains a solid fuel burning appliance
- test each alarm at the beginning of the tenancy
- This is the minimum requirement in order to comply with the legislation, further details about the new law can be found on Alarms4Life.
If you own a rental property within Greater London, you can apply for one free smoke alarm per floor and one carbon monoxide alarm per room, which has a solid fuel burning appliance in, per property.
London Fire Brigade (
LFB) has a limited supply of free alarms to support landlords in meeting the new legislation but you can apply for up to five properties per application form and can submit multiple forms if necessary. LFB will only accept requests made online.
Apply for your free smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. For more information about the scheme view LFB's
FAQs.
People living in rented or shared accommodation are seven times more likely to have a fire according to research from the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG). To help prevent more fires, through DCLG funding, free smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms are being distributed across the country to landlords, for their rental properties.
"Landlords soon have to provide smoke alarms of face a £5k fine. This offer means no excuses!"
For maximum protection, smoke alarms should be fitted in every room apart from the kitchen and bathroom. Heat alarms can be fitted in kitchens. Not eligible are:
- landlords who are registered providers of social housing
- Houses in Multiple Occupations (HMOs), hostels and refuges
- shared accommodation with the landlord or landlords family
- long leases properties (over seven years)
- student halls of residence
- care homes
- hospitals and hospices and other healthcare accommodation
All applications will be prioritised according to risk. LFB will notify successful applicants.
Tenants
If you're a tenant, please ask your landlord to make an application for alarms for your property. If you're a tenant and you'd like some fire safety advice you can arrange a Home Fire
Safety Visit.
