Agents support CO and smoke alarm rules but criticise government deadline

The Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) says it is 'entirely supportive' of today's regulation change which requires landlords to install smoke and Carbon Monoxide alarms in rented properties.

From today it is mandatory for landlords to fit a smoke alarm on every floor of a rented property that is used wholly or partly as living accommodation.

They will also be required to put a carbon monoxide alarm in any room where solid fuel is burnt. 

Despite supporting the aims of the regulations, ARLA has criticised the government for implementing too strict a timeframe for landlords and their agents to comply with the new rules. 

“Following final scrutiny of the measures a few weeks ago, the deadline was not extended,” says David Cox, ARLA's managing director.

He urges all landlords and letting agents who have yet to fit smoke and Carbon Monoxide alarms to do all they can to ensure that their properties comply with the new regulations as quickly as possible.

A letting agent, Fran Mulhall, regional operations manager at GFW Letting in the North East, is also supportive of the regulations but says that agents are under pressure to ensure all their landlords are compliant. 

“The government’s delay in passing this law has meant that landlords and their agents have little time to meet their new safety obligations,” she says. 

Mulhall also suggests that the wording of the new regulations is 'rather woolly', which has increased the chances of misinterpretation and subsequently the number of landlords who are at risk of a fine. 

The government's full guidance on the new rules can be viewed here. 

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