Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm Rules for Landlords in England
Every private landlord in England must fit a smoke alarm on each storey with a room used as living accommodation, a carbon monoxide alarm in every such room with a fixed combustion appliance other than a gas cooker, check they work on the first day of each new tenancy and repair or replace any alarm reported faulty. Those are the four duties in regulation 4 of the 2015 regulations, as amended from 1 October 2022. Breaking them can cost up to £5,000. This guide quotes the rules, covers which lets are excluded, what alarms to fit and what it costs.
In this guide
The four duties Where to put them What type of alarm The first-day check Lets the rules do not cover Enforcement and the £5,000 penalty What compliance costs Frequently asked questions SourcesThe four duties
| Duty | What the regulation says | In force |
|---|---|---|
| Smoke alarms | A smoke alarm on each storey of the premises on which there is a room used wholly or partly as living accommodation | 1 October 2015 |
| Carbon monoxide alarms | A CO alarm in any room used wholly or partly as living accommodation that contains a fixed combustion appliance other than a gas cooker | 1 October 2022 (solid fuel only before) |
| First-day check | Checks that each alarm is in proper working order on the day the tenancy begins, if it is a new tenancy | 1 October 2015 |
| Repair or replace | Where a tenant reports an alarm not working, it is repaired or replaced | Reports from 1 October 2022 |
Regulation 4(1) of the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015, as amended by SI 2022/707 from 1 October 2022, read on legislation.gov.uk on 3 October 2026.
"Living accommodation" includes bathrooms and toilets, so a storey with only a bathroom still needs a smoke alarm. A fixed combustion appliance means a gas boiler, a gas fire, an oil boiler or a wood burner; a gas cooker alone does not trigger the carbon monoxide duty, though fitting one in the kitchen anyway is sensible.
Where to put them
- Smoke alarms: one per storey as the minimum, usually on the hall and landing ceilings on the escape route.
- Carbon monoxide alarms: in the room with the boiler, gas fire or stove. A boiler in a kitchen cupboard means an alarm in the kitchen; a combi in a bedroom means one in the bedroom.
- Flats: the duty covers the premises let to the tenant. Communal areas in a block are the freeholder's or managing agent's responsibility.
- HMOs and licensed properties: licences normally go further, typically interlinked mains-wired alarms with a heat detector in the kitchen. Leicester's selective licences require linked, mains-connected systems; check the conditions in our HMO licence guide and selective licensing guide.
What type of alarm
The regulations do not specify a type: battery, sealed ten-year battery and mains-wired alarms all comply for a single let. Sealed ten-year alarms avoid the tenant removing batteries and cut the number of call-outs. In licensed HMOs and many selective schemes the council's conditions decide, and mains-wired interlinked systems are the norm. Prices for those, £300 to £800 per house in September 2026 quotes, are in our HMO licence guide; an electrician can fit them at the same visit as an EICR.
The first-day check
On the day each new tenancy begins, test every alarm and record it. The simplest evidence is a line on the check-in inventory signed by the tenant: each alarm, its location and "tested working". After that, testing during the tenancy is the tenant's job, though a landlord should encourage monthly testing and must act on a report. Note that since 1 May 2026 all private tenancies are periodic; a new tenancy means a new occupier, not a renewal.
Lets the rules do not cover
The Schedule to the regulations excludes some arrangements, including:
- lodgers sharing accommodation with the landlord or the landlord's family;
- long leases;
- student halls of residence;
- hostels and refuges;
- care homes, hospitals, hospices and other healthcare accommodation;
- low-cost ownership homes.
Licensed HMOs are covered by equivalent conditions in the licence. For an ordinary buy-to-let let to a tenant, the rules apply.
Enforcement and the £5,000 penalty
Councils enforce. If a council has reasonable grounds to believe a landlord is in breach, it must serve a remedial notice within 21 days, and the landlord has 28 days to comply. If the landlord does not, the council must arrange for the work to be done where the occupier consents, and can impose a penalty charge of up to £5,000. The landlord can ask the council to review the penalty and then appeal to the First-tier Tribunal. Alarms also feature in licence conditions and the Housing Health and Safety Rating System, so a missing alarm can trigger more than one regime. The landlord fines guide has the full list.
What compliance costs
For a two-storey house with a gas combi in the kitchen, the minimum is two smoke alarms and one carbon monoxide alarm. Sealed ten-year battery models are widely sold by DIY retailers for modest sums, so the alarm cost is small next to the £5,000 penalty. Mains-wired interlinked systems cost more, as above. Put the replacement date of ten-year alarms in the compliance calendar alongside the gas safety check; the gas engineer can confirm the carbon monoxide alarm is in the right room at the annual visit. The certificate cost calculator prices the rest of the safety paperwork.
Frequently asked questions
Do landlords have to fit smoke alarms?
Yes. Regulation 4 requires a smoke alarm on each storey of the property with a room used wholly or partly as living accommodation, checked on the first day of each new tenancy.
Where does a carbon monoxide alarm need to go in a rental?
In any room used as living accommodation that contains a fixed combustion appliance other than a gas cooker, such as a gas boiler, gas fire, oil boiler or wood burner. This has applied since 1 October 2022.
Do rental smoke alarms have to be mains wired?
Not under the regulations, which allow battery alarms. HMO licences and some selective licensing schemes require interlinked mains-wired systems.
What happens if a tenant reports a faulty alarm?
The landlord must repair or replace it. This duty applies to reports made on or after 1 October 2022.
What is the fine for not having smoke alarms in a rental?
Up to £5,000. The council first serves a remedial notice giving 28 days to comply; the penalty follows if you do not.
Sources
Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015, as amended; the Schedule of excluded tenancies; Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022, SI 2022/707; GOV.UK explanatory booklet for landlords. Checked 3 October 2026. See the methodology.