What is the New Legislation?
In order to comply with the law, landlords must ensure that any rooms with fixed combustion appliances, in residential properties, are fitted with carbon monoxide detectors. This includes gas and oil-fired boilers but excludes gas cookers.
These devices detect the presence of carbon monoxide in the air and sound an alarm if there is a risk of poisoning. They are designed to alert people to the danger of carbon monoxide poisoning before it becomes too late.
This means that the majority of rental properties will require a Carbon Monoxide detector unless, of course, they have no gas.
Landlords will also now have a legal duty to ensure they repair or replace any detector that a tenants reports as faulty.
Those Landlords that do not comply with the legislation can be subject to a local authority penalty charge of up to £5000.00.
For all of our Full Management landlords, please do not worry as we already have you covered. We have been installing Carbon Monoxide detectors in your properties over the last month.
Frequently Asked Questions
What type of Carbon Monoxide alarm is required?
The updated regulations do not stipulate the type of Carbon Monoxide alarms that should be installed.
The choices come down to a mains powered alarm which is hard wired throughout the property, or a battery powered alarm which will either be a sealed unit lasting up to 10 years, or a changeable battery.
It’s really down to the landlord or their agent to choose an alarm which best suits the needs of the property and the tenants, and that those alarms are compliant with British Standards BS 5839-6.
The type of alarm we are putting into our landlords properties are the battery sealed unit alarms which last for 10 years and have a digital display.
Where should you install a Carbon Monoxide Alarm?
The new regulations do not stipulate where the Carbon Monoxide alarms should be placed, so following the manufacturer’s recommendations would be a good start to ensuring it is located correctly. For example:
- Whether the alarm is wall-mounted or ceiling-mounted, place the alarm a horizontal distance of between 1 meter and 3 meters from a fuel burning appliance.
- When mounting the alarm on the wall, use an inside wall with the top edge of the alarm at a minimum of 150mm below the ceiling. The bottom of the alarm should also be at a level greater than the height of any door or window.
- Locate within hearing distance of bedrooms and place at sleeping height if a heating appliance is in the bedroom.
- CO alarms in rooms with sloped ceilings should be located on the high side of the room.
- Ceiling mounted alarms should be at least 300mm from any wall.
- If there is a partition in the room, locate the alarm on the same side of the partition as the potential source.
What is Carbon Monoxide?
Carbon Monoxide (CO gas) is a simple molecule: one part carbon, one part oxygen. Carbon monoxide is produced when carbon fuel such as natural gas fails to burn completely.
These energy sources aren’t dangerous when you burn them in an open area with plenty of ventilation, but Carbon Monoxide can be fatal in confined spaces such as kitchens, bedrooms, bathrooms etc.
Carbon monoxide is very hard to detect without equipment such as a Carbon Monoxide alarm, which is one of the reasons it’s so dangerous.
Why is Carbon Monoxide dangerous?
Carbon Monoxide can be fatal because it binds with your red blood cells and starves your body of oxygen upon entering into your lungs.
Early symptoms of Carbon Monoxide poisoning are as follows:
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Fatigue
- Shortness of breath
Eventually, the symptoms turn lethal without treatment.
The new requirements come into force on 1 October 2022. Landlords are expected to be compliant with the regulations from that date.
