New carbon monoxide and smoke detector regulations to be introduced

As of October 2015 Landlords will be required by law to install working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in their properties.  This new legislation which is subject to parliamentary approval, will help prevent up to 26 deaths and 670 injuries a year.  The proposed changes to the law would require landlords to install smoke alarms on every floor of their property, and test them at the start of every tenancy.  Landlords would also need to install carbon monoxide alarms in high risk rooms – such as those where a solid fuel heating system is installed.  This would bring private rented properties into line with existing building regulations that already require newly-built homes to have hard-wired smoke alarms installed.