CO Advice, Fire Safety
Landlords must ensure private rental properties are compliant with the Smoke, Heat and Carbon Monoxide Alarms for Private Tenancies Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2024 which will become law for new tenancies from 1st September 2024, and for all other tenancies from 1st December 2024.
The new regulations mean all private rented properties must comply and have the appropriate smoke, heat and carbon monoxide alarms in place by the deadline to avoid a fine.
Under the new Regulations, landlords will need to ensure private rental properties are fitted with a minimum of:
1 smoke alarm installed in:
1 heat alarm installed in every kitchen
1 carbon monoxide alarm installed in any room or circulation space of the property which contains a fixed combustion appliance, other than a gas cooker
A fixed combustion appliance includes a fixed apparatus where fuel of any type is burned to generate heat and includes boilers, fires (including open fires), heaters and stoves fuelled by solid fuel, oil or gas, but excludes a gas cooker or a gas oven.
According to national fire statistics, fires in properties that have alarms in place continue to be discovered more rapidly (less than 5 minutes) after ignition and are associated with lower fatal casualty rates.
Under the new Regulations, any smoke or heat alarms installed in a private rental property in Northern Ireland, must be:
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a gas, produced when carbon-based fuel, such as coal, wood, oil or natural gas is burnt without enough oxygen. The installation of carbon monoxide alarms is intended to reduce the risk of CO poisoning and the consequent loss of life and serious injury.
Under the new Regulations, any CO alarms installed do not need to be interlinked with other smoke or heat alarms in a private rental property, but must be:
As a minimum, CO alarms should be installed where there is:
A combustion appliance necessarily located in a bathroom (advice would be to locate it elsewhere) – the CO detector should be sited outside the room as close to the appliance as possible but allowing for the effect humid air might have on the detector when the bathroom door is open. Landlords may also wish to install a CO alarm in a bedroom or any room where a flue passes through to provide extra protection.
If an area is open plan (where there are no walls dividing a kitchen and a space used by the occupants for general daytime living purposes), one smoke alarm can cover the whole room. This is provided it can be installed no more than 7.5 meters from any point in the room.
An exception to this is where the open plan area contains a kitchen area, in which case the alarm fitted should be a heat alarm.
If an alarm is more than 7.5 meters from any point in the room, another alarm must be installed. Also, where the proximity of an open fireplace would make a smoke alarm impracticable, a heat alarm may be fitted.
A landlord must ensure that each smoke, heat or carbon monoxide alarm is:
Landlords should also make an informed decision and choose the best alarms for their properties and tenants, with due regard for their tenants’ circumstances.
For example, specialist smoke, heat and carbon monoxide alarms that alert by vibration or flashing lights (as opposed to by sound alerts) may be required for tenants who are deaf or hard of hearing.
It is the tenant’s responsibility to undertake regular testing of the alarms and draw any faults to the landlord’s attention. If tenants find that their alarms are not in working order during the tenancy, they need to report this to the relevant landlord or acting agent.
Additionally it is a tenant’s responsibility to take proper care of the alarms and make good any damage wilfully or negligently caused by themselves, or by any person/persons lawfully living in or lawfully visiting the premises.
Tenants have a right to refer any landlord not complying with the installation of carbon monoxide alarms or any other element of non-compliance within the regulations to the environmental health department of their local council.
More guidance and information on The Smoke, Heat and Carbon Monoxide Alarms for Private Tenancies Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2024, is available to view in the Government’s guidance notes and website.
View compliant FireAngel smoke, heat and carbon monoxide alarms suitable for your properties or contact a member of our friendly team to get prepared today.
