New smoke alarm and carbon monoxide safety regulations to be enforced from October 1st.

Landlords, property managers and property owners should be aware that the new safety regulations concerning carbon monoxide and smoke alarms will be enforced from October 1, with fines of up to £5,000 for non-compliance.

The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations, which have been effective since 2015, will be amended to extend some of the rules in place including:

• A carbon monoxide alarm is required in any lived-in room with a fixed combustion appliance (excluding gas cookers)
• A smoke alarm must be installed on each storey of a domestic property with ‘living accommodation’
• Landlords and agents must replace or repair any faulty alarms if a tenant informs them there is an issue
• Local authorities will have the power to enforce the new regulations

The new regulations are the latest example of legal changes which are putting a greater focus on safety in rented properties. This means that landlords are under scrutiny like never before and are being held to account for their actions or lack thereof.

With not long to go until these rules take effect, it’s imperative that landlords ensure their properties are compliant. Landlords found to be in breach of them face fines of up to £5,000.

Landlords are increasingly under the spotlight, and being held to account as these examples demonstrate:

Since July 1 2021, all residential landlords have had to ensure that electrical installations in their properties are safe and are inspected and tested regularly. The first fine – a penalty of £1,600 – was imposed on a landlord in Coventry who failed to provide proof that mandatory checks had been carried out at a property that he owned.

A landlord in Bury, Greater Manchester, recently failed to produce a valid Electrical Installation Condition Report for a house he owns and lets out, and had to pay £7,500 for not complying with electrical safety standards as environmental health officers from Bury Council were unable to determine whether the electrical installation was safe.

In Liverpool, a landlord was recently prosecuted for not having smoke alarms and for leaving plug sockets hanging from the walls, with wiring exposed. The landlord was fined over £4,000.

And locally in Salford, a landlord received an eye-watering £20,000 fine for renting out an unsafe property. The landlord had failed to complete fire safety and gas and electrical works despite being ordered to do so and the property’s fire alarm, detection systems and escape routes were still unsafe three years after the owner was ordered to do the work. On top of the £20,000 fine, magistrates ordered the landlord to pay nearly £5,000 in costs too!

Many landlords rent property as a second source of income, in addition to their day jobs. But being busy with their other careers means a simple lapse when it comes to safety certification can prove costly. With the forthcoming legislation changes, it could be worth considering using LettingsONE to manage your property - we can take away the burden of worrying about the rules and regulations concerned with being a landlord.

If you have any questions about compliance or are interested in our management services, please contact us on 0161 511 5339 or complete our contact form.