New government regulations demanding smoke alarms and, in some instances, carbon monoxide alarms in privately rented homes add to a confusing mix of requirements, leading alarm manufacturer Kidde explains.
With occupants at least four times more likely to die in a house fire where there is no working smoke alarm, new measures – announced in March – aim to help prevent up to 26 deaths and 670 injuries a year. The new Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015 apply to all private rented premises in England occupied on or after 1 October.
Essential working alarms
They will not apply to licensed HMOs, social housing, or where accommodation is shared with the landlord. Although landlords in both public and private sectors may be exempt or may have installed smoke alarms already, these measures are a timely reminder that smoke/heat alarms are essential in every home – and that they must continue to work.
In essence, the new Regulations call for a smoke alarm on each floor where there is accommodation and a carbon monoxide alarm in any habitable room with a solid fuel appliance. The landlord, managing agent or other representative must check that alarms work at the start of each tenancy and replace any that do not, although regular testing will be the tenant’s responsibility.
Code of Practice
In terms of fire and smoke safety, the new Regulations do not specify the type, location or power-source of the alarms. However, these aspects are covered in the Code of Practice BS 5839-6:2013. British Standards take the form of guidance and recommendations, and are not in themselves mandatory, although they can form the basis of Building Regulations, are referred to in specifications and used as a benchmark in housing standards (including HHSRS and Repairing Standards), legal or insurance claims and other situations.
The latest 2013 edition of BS 5839 Part 6 – Code of practice for the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of fire detection and fire alarm systems in domestic premises – covers both new and existing homes, whether for single families or HMOs consisting of self- contained units. It lists the minimum categories – effectively, in which areas smoke/heat alarms are required – recommended for different types of housing. The new Regulation requirements generally match Category LD3, in line with the current Building Regulations Approved Document B (AD B – applying to new housing, extensions and some alterations in England and Wales).
Conflicting recommendations
AD B requires Category LD3 protection with smoke alarms in escape routes only. But as the Code points out, with LD3 the evacuation time once fire is detected in the circulation area might be quite short and: “might not prevent death or serious injury of occupants of the room where fire originates” such as living rooms. In contrast, for all new and most existing houses up to 3 storeys and individual flats, the Code recommends a minimum Category LD2. That means smoke alarms in any areas where fires might start, such as living rooms, plus heat alarms in all kitchens and also smoke alarms in all escape routes. Interestingly, current Building Regulations in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland are all in-line with the Code.
One area where all the Building Regulations and the Code are agreed is grades – effectively the reliability of a system in terms of its power sources. They all call for Grade D hard-wired, interconnected smoke and heat alarms with back-up power. Battery-only smoke alarms are not permitted where Building Regulations apply and the Code says that Grade F battery-powered alarms can only be considered in existing, owner-occupied, one or two storey dwellings – and then only where there is a ‘reasonable certainty’ that batteries will be replaced: sealed-in battery alarms can help resolve this issue.
Hard-wired smoke alarms
In a change to the latest edition of the Code, Grade F battery-only alarms are effectively excluded from all rented homes. Despite this, the 2015 private rental regulations in England do not distinguish between battery and mains alarms, leaving the decision up to each landlord. Increasingly, responsible landlords – whether private or social housing providers – are choosing interconnected, hard-wired mains smoke alarms with back-up power, meeting the recommendations of the BS 5839, Part 6: 2103. They are already a legal requirement in all Scottish rented properties.
Here, there is a growing interest in energy saving products and lower running costs for homeowners and tenants.
10-year guarantee
There may still be situations where battery smoke alarms can provide quick, simple protection – particularly where no alarms are present at all. With this in mind, the latest generation of 10-year guarantee battery alarms can help landlords meet their obligations to test at the start of each tenancy under the new private rental regulations, over the longer term – and cost-effectively.