Smoke and carbon monoxide alarm rules for landlords

The smoke alarm regulations for landlords in England require a smoke alarm on every storey of a rented home that has a room used as living accommodation, and a carbon monoxide alarm in any such room with a fixed combustion appliance other than a gas cooker. You must check the alarms work on the day each new tenancy starts, and repair or replace any alarm a tenant reports as faulty as soon as reasonably practicable.

These duties are part of the landlord compliance checklist. They apply to private lets in England; Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own rules.

What do the smoke alarm regulations require?

The rules are in the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015, as amended from 1 October 2022. As a landlord you must:

1. fit a smoke alarm on each storey that has a room used wholly or partly as living accommodation;
2. fit a carbon monoxide alarm in any room used as living accommodation that contains a fixed combustion appliance, other than a gas cooker;
3. check each alarm is in proper working order on the day a new tenancy begins;
4. after a tenant reports a fault, decide whether the alarm works and repair or replace it as soon as reasonably practicable.

Two definitions widen the rules:

• bathrooms and lavatories count as living accommodation;
• a "room" includes a hall or a landing.

A "new tenancy" means one granted on or after 1 October 2022. A renewal between the same parties for substantially the same property is not a new tenancy for these rules.

Where do you need a carbon monoxide alarm?

What matters is the appliance. Any fixed combustion appliance in a room used as living accommodation triggers the duty, whatever it burns, with one exception: a gas cooker. Here is how the rules apply in common layouts.

Property	Smoke alarms	Carbon monoxide alarm
One-floor flat, gas boiler in the kitchen	At least one on that floor	Yes, in the kitchen
Two-storey house, gas boiler in the upstairs bathroom	At least one on each storey	Yes, in the bathroom
House with a wood-burning stove in the lounge	At least one on each storey with living accommodation	Yes, in the lounge
Flat with a gas cooker and electric heating only	At least one on that floor	Not required by the regulations
Loft converted into a bedroom	One on the loft storey as well	Only if that room has a fixed combustion appliance

Watch out: Halls and landings count as rooms. If a boiler or other fixed combustion appliance sits on a landing, the carbon monoxide alarm duty applies there too.

How often must landlords test smoke alarms?

The regulations set no testing interval. They fix two checkpoints instead:

• the first day of every new tenancy, when you must check each alarm works;
• any reported fault, when you must check and repair or replace as soon as reasonably practicable.

How long an alarm lasts before it needs replacing is set by the manufacturer's instructions, not by law. It's good practice to note the replacement date for each alarm, but that is a recommendation rather than a legal duty.

For example, if a tenancy begins on Tuesday 1 December 2026, test every smoke and carbon monoxide alarm that day, ideally with the tenant present, and write the result on the check-in inventory. If the tenant reports a faulty alarm on 14 January 2027, check it and fix it as soon as reasonably practicable after that report.

Extra alarm rules for HMOs

If you let a house in multiple occupation, more rules apply on top:

• every HMO licence, and every selective licence, includes conditions requiring smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, and a declaration of their condition and position when the council asks for one;
• the HMO management regulations require you to keep fire alarms in good working order.

Read our guides to the HMO licence and fire safety rules for rented homes for the full picture.

Penalties, and do alarms affect eviction?

Enforcement starts with the council. If it believes you are in breach, it must serve a remedial notice, and you then have 28 days to comply. If you don't, the council can:

• impose a penalty charge of up to £5,000;
• arrange for the work to be done itself.

Alarms do not affect your right to possession. The Housing Act 1988 section 7 contains no alarm condition, so a missing alarm doesn't stop a court making an order on a Section 8 notice. Fit and test the alarms anyway: it's a cheap duty, and the risk to life is real.

Costs and a move-in day checklist

As an estimate, alarms cost about £20 to £50 each, based on a single commercial price survey updated in September 2026. Prices vary by type and supplier.

On the first day of every new tenancy:

• Walk every storey and confirm each one with living accommodation has a smoke alarm.
• Check every room with a fixed combustion appliance (boiler, wood burner, gas fire) has a carbon monoxide alarm.
• Remember that bathrooms, halls and landings count.
• Test every alarm and confirm it works.
• Record the date and result, ideally signed by the tenant on the inventory.
• Give the tenant a way to report faults, and fix any reported fault as soon as reasonably practicable.

What to do next

Add each property's next tenancy start date to ValidNotice's free compliance reminders so the day-one alarm check is never missed. While you're checking the boiler room, make sure your gas safety certificate is in date, and review your EICR.