The fire safety lapse that exposed a landlord to huge risk

The landlord assumed the property’s existing alarms were sufficient. But during an inspection, it was found that the rental had no smoke alarm on the first floor and no carbon monoxide alarm near a solid fuel appliance. The council served an improvement notice under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), warning that failure to comply could lead to financial penalties. The landlord quickly installed the alarms, but not before facing enforcement action and reputational damage.

Since October 2015, private landlords in England have been legally required to install a smoke alarm on every floor used as living accommodation and a carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a solid fuel appliance. Since October 2022, the rules were expanded to require carbon monoxide alarms in rooms with fixed combustion appliances such as gas boilers (excluding gas cookers). Local authorities can fine landlords up to £5,000 for failing to comply. In this landlord’s case, assumptions about compliance led to unnecessary enforcement.

The lesson is clear: never assume older installations meet current standards. Fire safety rules evolve, and landlords must check regularly to ensure properties remain compliant. The small cost of fitting alarms is trivial compared to the risks of penalties, voids, or worse, tenant harm.

What do you think?

How do you keep on top of changing fire safety rules? Do you carry out regular checks yourself or rely on managing agents?

Source: Gov.uk fire safety guidance

Previous articles in this series

Landlord Lessons: The AST date mistake

Landlord Lessons: The missing inventory

Landlord Lessons: The verbal agreement trap

Landlord Lessons: The gas safety lapse

Landlord Lessons: The unprotected deposit

Landlord Lessons: The unlicensed HMO

Landlord Lessons: The electrical safety lapse

Landlord Lessons: The Right to Rent slip

Landlord Lessons: The ignored repair

Landlord Lessons: The insurance blindspot

Landlord Lessons: The rent-to-rent risk

Landlord Lessons: The Section 21 error

Landlord Lessons: The Section 8 misstep

Landlord Lessons: The selective licensing oversight

Landlord Lessons: The EPC blindspot

Landlord Lessons: The rent increase mistake

Landlord Lessons: The service charge shock

Landlord Lessons: The tax record slip

Landlord Lessons: The guarantor gap

Landlord Lessons: The referencing shortcut

Landlord Lessons: The pet clause oversight

Share This Article