Fire fighters:

Change in law to force smoke alarms in rental accommodation

This in from the council, in their own words, Ed


The government has announced the law will come into force in October 2015.

The alarms must be installed on every floor of the property and be tested ahead of any new tenancy, with the carbon monoxide alarms placed in each room which is deemed ‘high risk’, such as where there is a gas fire or boiler.

The government says the move will help prevent dozens of deaths and over 1,300 injuries each year. Deputy local senior officer at the Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service, Justin Harden, said:

“Working smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms save lives. For example you are four times more likely to die in a fire in a property that does not have working smoke detectors, which demonstrates just how important they are.”

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service group manager community safety, Ty Whitlock, added

“Although most private landlords do already have smoke and carbon monoxide alarms installed, this announcement by the government will ensure every property will have them in future. We would therefore urge landlords to check their properties and ensure they have the necessary smoke and carbon monoxide detection on every floor of their properties.”

Members of the public living in private rented accommodation are also advised to consider their home safety with further home safety information and advice found on both the Hampshire and Isle of Wight websites.

Image: AMagill under CC BY 2.0