Alarms Suitable for English Landlord Regulations

2022 English Legislation

From 1st October 2022 in England and Wales, The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022 will require all social housing providers and landlords to ensure suitable, working smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms are installed in their properties. This expands the scope of the 2015 landlord regulations which originally excluded social housing and focused on the private rental sector.

A general summary of the new requirements are:

• One smoke alarm on each storey where there is a room used as living accommodation.
• One carbon monoxide alarm in any room used as living accommodation which contains a fixed combustion appliance (excluding gas cookers).
• Ensure smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms are repaired or replaced once informed and found that they are faulty.
• Alarms must be installed in compliance with British Standards BS 5839-6.
• Where there is a carbon-fuelled appliance (e.g. boiler or gas cooker) or a flue, a carbon monoxide alarm is also required.
• Where battery powered alarms are selected, alarms with 'sealed for life' batteries are recommended.

It is the landlord's duty to ensure a sufficient number of suitable alarms are installed correctly and working at the start of each tenancy. After this, the tenants must perform regular testing and maintenance (including replacing batteries). If an alarm is faulty and replacing the batteries does not rectify the issue, the tenant must inform the landlord who will arrange the repair or replacement of the alarm. However, landlords are recommended to provide a demonstration and instructions to tenants for the testing and maintenance, and must make an informed decision to meet the needs of tenants with special requirements or disabilities.

Alarm Power Requirements

Although the new legislation does not directly state the power source or interlink type required for alarms to be compliant, Government guidance does say that alarms should comply with British Standard BS 5839-6, the Code of Practice for Fire Detection and Alarm Systems in Domestic Premises. BS 5839-6: 2019 also has a table of recommended alarms for different types of domestic premises, with rented properties being advised to install Grade D1 alarms in Category LD2 positions – all circulation spaces that form part of escape routes plus all rooms and areas that present a high fire risk to occupants, such as kitchens and living rooms.

Any mains-powered alarms, regardless of sensor type, must be permanently wired into a mains circuit. Alarms which use a mains plug are not suitable for the updated regulations.

Smoke & Heat Alarm Grades

British Standard 5839 Part 6 is a code of practice relating to the design, installation and maintenance of fire detection systems in domestic premises. The standard also grades fire detection systems which reflects their functionality and capability. The below table details the up-to-date grades for fire detection systems.

Alarm Grades by Power Type (BS 5839 Part 6)

For a full summary of BS 5839 Part 6, please visit 'Fire Detection and Fire Alarm Systems for Buildings'.

Interlink Compatibility

Hardwire Interlink

Smoke alarms, heat alarms, and carbon monoxide alarms powered from a mains circuit will usually also have an interlink or interconnect terminal next to the live and neutral wire terminals. If one alarm detects a fire or CO emergency it will pass the signal to the other units which will also sound an alarm throughout the property. This is particularly important for large buildings or if the bedroom is located far away from the kitchen. Outhouses and garages can also be connected into the radio-interlinked alarm system for added peace of mind.

Mains alarms can be connected to nearby lighting circuits for power, provided the light switch does not also turn off power to the alarm, but the interlink wire must be separate and not 'piggy-back' on a mains circuit as smoke, heat, and CO alarms are not designed to take 230V in their interlink terminal. If the property does not already have mains-powered alarms wired in, or if testing one of your existing alarms does not also cause the other alarms to sound, then an electrician will need to install a new interlink cable throughout the building.

Radio-Interlink

Radio-interlinked smoke alarms, heat alarms, and carbon monoxide alarms communicate with each other via radio frequency (RF). If one alarm detects a fire or CO emergency it will pass the signal to the other units which will also sound an alarm throughout the property. This is particularly important for large buildings or if the bedroom is located far away from the kitchen. Outhouses and garages can also be connected into the radio-interlinked alarm system for added peace of mind.

Radio-interlinked alarms are sometimes referred to as wireless alarms, although this can be confusing when dealing with radio-interlinked units wired into the mains power supply in a building. Radio-interlinked alarms can be battery powered or mains powered, and we even offer battery operated smoke alarms, heat alarms, and carbon monoxide alarms with radio-interlink that contain a sealed battery which lasts the full ten years of the alarm's life.

Compatibility

Only interlink alarms with alarms from the same model range and manufacturer. Alarms from different manufacturers are not compatible and attempting to interlink them could damage the alarms. If in doubt, check the instruction manual for the alarms before purchase – we provide PDF instruction manual downloads for the majority of smoke, heat, and CO alarms on our website.

Some ranges support mixing hardwired and radio-interlink alarms in the same network, which can reduce electrician costs and disruption. All alarms on each storey would be connected together via hardwire interlink, with one alarm on each storey also being connected to each other via RF signal. This could also save money on product costs, as mains-powered alarms without radio-interlink are usually the cheapest option for interlinking alarms. Please confirm before purchase if you require this functionality.