Millions of renters are in homes without fire alarms – claim

Millions of renters are in homes without fire alarms – claim

0:01 AM, 8th July 2024, About 3 months ago 5

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Millions of renters in the UK don’t have smoke alarms in their rented properties, according to a new survey.

The findings by Firechief Global found that 17% of tenants – which equates to more than two million people – are living in homes without smoke alarms.

This number is even higher in Greater London (24%) and Northern Ireland (22%).

The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022 make it compulsory for landlords to install smoke alarms in rented properties.

Maintaining working smoke alarms

The firm’s chief executive, Laurie Pollard, said: “The importance of installing and maintaining working smoke alarms in every home cannot be overstated.

“The absence of smoke alarms in millions of homes denies individuals the essential extra time needed to escape a fire safely.

“This critical time can mean the difference between life and death.”

He adds: “Landlords have a legal and moral duty to install smoke alarms in rental properties and local authorities should be monitoring compliance to ensure the safety of all residents.”

Government’s ‘Fire Kills’ campaign

The government’s ‘Fire Kills’ campaign warns that individuals are 10 times more likely to die in a fire if their home does not have a working smoke alarm.

The International Fire and Safety Journal found in 2020/21, that in England there was a 28% failure rate of smoke alarms.

The failure rate rises to 39% in Scotland and 50% in Wales.

While the onus falls on tenants to regularly test the alarms, landlords should provide guidance during the move-in process.

Landlords are legally required to equip each floor with a smoke alarm, and they must comply with British Standards BS 5839-6.

Local authorities are responsible for upholding these regulations and issuing penalties to non-compliant landlords. Fines of up to £5,000 per breach can be imposed.


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moneymanager

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10:53 AM, 8th July 2024, About 3 months ago

Other statistics would be informative such as how many house fires are there p.a., how many with fatalities, and what proportion of those did or did not have functional alarms.

Following Grenfell, this building has spent over £400000 on a centrally controlled fire alarm system in addition to the already upgraded and tricklecharged smoke detection system. We'd had three fully contained apartment fires in over twenty years and a stayput policy, we now have to evacuate but with the recent added peril of electric cars in the basement, evacuating four hundred flats into a lithium fire will prove a disaster, somewhere.

Stella

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11:02 AM, 8th July 2024, About 3 months ago

I wonder if he has considered how many alarms that the tenants have tampered with, used the batteries for something else diabled the alarms etc.

john luckit

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11:09 AM, 8th July 2024, About 3 months ago

Agree with Stella....if tenant removed or disable smoke alarm and continues to smoke (as evidenced on 6 monthly inspection)- would property be insured?

Cider Drinker

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16:33 PM, 8th July 2024, About 3 months ago

The law requires landlords to fit alarms at the start of the tenancy. After that, it’s the tenants responsibility to test the alarms and report any faults.

Tenants should be capable of changing batteries but, if not, landlords need to do it.

Tenants often remove the batteries or, if the alarm is hardwired, they will remove the alarm from its base unit.

I think it should be the tenants’ responsibility. It is their lives, after all.

Ian Narbeth

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12:19 PM, 19th July 2024, About 3 months ago

Reply to the comment left by john luckit at 08/07/2024 - 11:09
And how about a commensurate fine for tenants who interfere with the proper functioning of smoke detectors and fire alarms?

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