Just over 2 million people in rented accommodation don’t have a fitted smoke alarm, amounting to a huge 17% of the UK’s renters.
People living in Greater London are most affected, where nearly 24% of households don’t have one installed, followed by 22% in Northern Ireland.
The survey comes from fire safety company Firechief Global.
Laurie Pollard, its managing director, said: “In light of these alarming findings, all landlords must check their properties and ensure that the correct fire safety measures are in place to protect tenants first and foremost.
“The statistics show a lack of comprehensive adherence to the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm Regulations 2022 act, which mandates the installation of smoke alarms in rented accommodations. We must raise awareness of the fact this isn’t the case. Local authorities need to take action and enforce these regulations within their jurisdiction.”
Landlord responsibilities
The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022 outlines that all landlords must ensure at least one smoke alarm is equipped on each storey of homes where there is a room being used as living accommodation. This has been a legal requirement in the private rented sector since 2015.
There is no specific type of smoke alarm that is required to be fitted, but it’s recommended that landlords choose the type of smoke alarm based on the needs of their building and their tenants and that those alarms are compliant with British Standards BS 5839-6.
If battery-powered alarms are chosen, alarms with ‘sealed for life’ batteries rather than alarms with replaceable batteries are a more reliable option.
Fatalities and failure rates
Some 321 fire-related fatalities were reported in the UK during the year 2022/23.
It’s up to tenants to regularly check alarms, but Firechief Global said landlords should consider showing tenants through the process when they move in.
According to the International Fire and Safety Journal, in England alone, during 2020/2021, there was a 28% failure rate of smoke alarms (i.e. that failed to operate or were not present). This failure rate rises to 39% in Scotland and increases even further to half of all fires (50%) in Wales.
Penalties
It’s down to local authorities to uphold the regulations within their jurisdiction and issue penalties. If a local authority finds a landlord has not complied with installing the required alarms, they must serve a remedial notice ordering the landlord to take action within 28 days.
Failure to comply with each remedial notice can result in the local authority imposing a civil penalty of up to £5,000 on the landlord. The £5,000 fine applies per breach, meaning landlords can face unlimited fines if multiple properties are found non-compliant.