Private landlords face prosecution if properties don't comply with new smoke, heat and carbon monoxide alarm rules

The rules around smoke, heat and carbon monoxide alarms in private rental properties are changing on December 1. Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council say their purpose is to "help reduce the risk of fire and consequent loss of life, injury and damage to property, within private rental properties."

For the purposes of the Regulations, a landlord has ultimate responsibility to ensure the property is compliant, even when someone, such as an agent, has been engaged to act on their behalf.

If private landlords don't comply with the new regulations, they could face prosecution.

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According to the council, the new Private Tenancies Regulations (NI) 2024 mean new minimum standards in terms of the alarms renters should have in their homes from December 1 this year. They include:

• A smoke alarm installed in the main living room and every circulation space on each storey ie the hall, landing area

• If a room has an open fire place a heat alarm can be fitted instead of a smoke alarm

• In circumstances where the room includes an open plan living area, provided the heat alarm in the kitchen is installed in a position where it is not more than 7.5 metres from any point in a room, a smoke alarm may be dispensed with

• A heat alarm installed in every kitchen

• A carbon monoxide alarm installed in any room or circulation space which contains a fixed combustion appliance or a flue (to include any bedrooms a flue passes through)

• Smoke and heat alarms, must be interlinked to ensure the alarms can communicate with each other, therefore providing sufficient cover if one alarm defects all alarms will go off to provide warning.

• A carbon monoxide alarm does not need to be linked to smoke and heat alarms, however if you have more than one carbon monoxide alarm it is recommended that these should be interlinked to each other, but this is not a legal requirement.

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Alarms can be either 10-year sealed tamper proof units or hard-wired units. However, existing hard-wired alarms must not be disabled and replaced with battery alarms.

According to national fire statistics fires in properties with alarms in place are discovered less than five minutes are ignition and are associated with lower numbers of deaths. The Department for Communities says that's why this new legal requirement was introduced under Section 8 of the Private Tenancies Act (NI) 2022. You can get more information about the new regulations here.

Once the compliance date of December 1, 2024 is reached, it will be a prosecutable offence for landlords not to comply with these standards according to DfC.

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