From 1st October, if you have chosen to rent a room from a private landlord, your landlord will be legally obliged to install a smoke alarm on every storey of the property where there is living accommodation.
This means that if you have an attic conversion, your landlord will now need to install a smoke alarm in it. The same goes for the basement. Of course, in many a private house share landlords already meet and exceed this requirement. Much private housing has smoke alarms in all living areas.
The new legislation simply means that the new legal ‘minimum’ is for a smoke alarm to be present on every floor of the property.
When this Will Happen and How it Will Be Implemented
The new legislation will come into effect on the 1st October. From then, landlords will be required to ensure that all smoke alarms are in order at the beginning of any new tenancy.
There will be penalties for private landlords who fail to comply with the new rules. Property owners who rent a room in properties without smoke alarms on each floor will now be liable to pay a £5,000 fine to their local housing authority.
Carbon Monoxide (CO) Monitors
The new legislation also has stipulations covering carbon monoxide detectors. Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas that, if undetected, can cause serious illness and death.
After the first of October your landlord will be obliged to fit your house share with carbon monoxide alarms in every room that contains a solid fuel burning combustion appliance. For example, if you have a room with a wood burning stove in your house share, your landlord will need to install a CO monitor in the room.
At Easyroomate, we welcome this new legislation which can only protect tenants’ health. If you are a landlord with a spare room to rent, you can list it on our site right now for free.
