Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms

Working alarms give you precious early warning of a fire, or of carbon monoxide, a poisonous gas you can't see, smell or taste. Here's what the law says your home must have, and how you can help keep the alarms working.

What your home must have

• A smoke alarm on every storey that has a room you live in. Bathrooms and toilets count as rooms for this, and so do halls and landings.
• A carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a fixed appliance that burns fuel, such as a gas or oil boiler, a gas fire or a log burning stove. Gas cookers are the one exception.

Checks and repairs

We check that every alarm is working on the day your tenancy starts. If an alarm stops working, tell us. Once you've reported it, the law says we must check it and repair or replace it as soon as reasonably practicable. For an alarm with a battery you can change, government guidance suggests trying a new battery first.

What you can do

• Test your smoke alarms at least once a month. Press the test button until the alarm sounds. If it stays silent and a new battery doesn't help, tell us.
• Test your carbon monoxide alarm as its instructions say.
• Listen for a regular chirp. It means the battery needs replacing. Tell us if you can't do it yourself.
• Leave alarms connected. Fire safety advice is never to disconnect an alarm or take its battery out if it goes off by mistake, unless you're replacing the battery.
• Let us know if anyone in your home is deaf or hard of hearing. Alarms that flash or vibrate are available, and government guidance asks landlords to take people's needs into account.

If a carbon monoxide alarm sounds. Early signs of carbon monoxide poisoning include headaches, dizziness, breathlessness, nausea and tiredness, and they're easily mistaken for flu. If an alarm sounds or you think there's carbon monoxide:

• call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999
• switch off the appliance, turn off the gas at the meter and open all doors and windows
• get urgent medical advice from your GP or A&E if anyone feels unwell.

Find out more

• Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms: guidance for landlords and tenants (GOV.UK)
• How to choose, fit and test smoke alarms (Fire Kills, GOV.UK)
• Carbon monoxide: symptoms and what to do (Health and Safety Executive)
• Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015, regulation 4 (legislation.gov.uk)