Carbon Monoxide (CO) Alarm Regulations
Carbon Monoxide (CO) Alarm Regulations are rules that require landlords to fit and maintain carbon monoxide alarms in rented homes to reduce the risk of CO poisoning. In England, the main rules are set out in the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015, as amended in 2022.
Private and social landlords must:
Install a working CO alarm in any room used as living accommodation where there is a fixed combustion appliance (such as a gas boiler or solid fuel burner), except gas cookers.
Make sure the alarm is working at the start of each new tenancy.
Repair or replace the alarm “as soon as reasonably practicable” if a tenant reports it is not working.
Tenants should test alarms regularly and report problems, but they are not responsible for supplying or replacing them at their own expense. Failure to comply can lead to local authority enforcement and civil penalties, and may also be relevant if a tenant suffers harm from CO exposure.
A missing or faulty alarm may support a disrepair or fitness for human habitation claim, and tenants are encouraged to raise issues early with the landlord, council or redress scheme.
