All-Party Parliamentary group call for all landlords to fit CO alarms

All-Party Parliamentary group call for all landlords to fit CO alarms

11:05 AM, 10th November 2017, About 7 years ago 23

Text Size

The All-Party Parliamentary Carbon Monoxide Group (APPCOG) campaign titled Carbon monoxide alarms: Tenants safe and secure in their homes is looking to improving current regulations for rented properties and make it compulsory to fit carbon monoxide alarms.

Alok Sharma MP, Minister of State for Housing and Planning, is backing a report by the APPCOG that proposes landlords must provide a CO alarm in properties containing any fuel burning appliance, as opposed to just solid fuel appliances.

The APPCOG writes: “This report has never been of greater significance, both in light of the Government’s White Paper and following the recent tragic Grenfell Tower fire, which have highlighted the need for a fundamental review of health and safety regulations to protect tenants in England.”

The Government has also announced their consultation on the reviews by the DCLG.

Click here to see the APPCOG website.

Barry Sheerman, Labour MP for Huddersfield and Parliamentary Officier and Co-Chair of the APPCOG said: “Housing regulations have become a pressing issue with pressures on housing market provision, more people moving into the rental market, and the population growing, we have to make sure that people are safe and secure in every home from CO.”

In 2004, one of his Sheerman’s constituent’s lost her son to CO poisoning and as a result she set up the Dominic Rodgers Trust. Since then, Barry has worked closely with the Trust and the APPCOG to help raise awareness, push for greater Parliamentary action and bring together Parliament, business, gas experts and many others to tackle this issue.

It is currently compulsory for all Landlords in Scotland to fit CO alarms but not in England and Wales where it is estimated 1.6 million rental homes could be at risk fro carbon monoxide poisoning.

 


Share This Article


Comments

Dominic Ferard

10:54 AM, 13th November 2017, About 7 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Rob Crawford at 11/11/2017 - 15:41
It's not hard to tell whether a rented property has 'at risk' gas devices: just look at the gas safety record, devices shown as 'RS' (room-sealed) neither use nor put back gas from/into the home. Devices with 'OF' are open-flued (e.g. fires) and devices with 'FL' have no flue (e.g. gas cooker) - both of these present a risk of inadequate combustion resulting in CO.

If a room-sealed device is fitted by a qualified gas engineer then a flue leak should be impossible; despite that, if it happened it would be picked up by the annual gas safety test.

In a house with only a room-sealed gas device (the majority I expect) we have fuel-burning that is safe by design, that is fitted by a qualified expert so as to be safe and it is tested annually by another qualified expert to make sure it is still safe. How much more safety testing do we want? Shouldn't we worry about real risks?

terry sullivan

12:41 PM, 13th November 2017, About 7 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Chris Daniel at 10/11/2017 - 19:39
grenfell was a bomb!

Chris @ Possession Friend

12:54 PM, 13th November 2017, About 7 years ago

Reply to the comment left by terry sullivan at 13/11/2017 - 12:41
Grenfell STARTED, because of a faulty Appliance. It would make SAFETY sense if All purchasers of appliances had to provide their details and be given a form expressing their liability, if they passed the appliance onto another person ( tenant -) to ensure they receive Manufacturer updates on any safety recalls.
(The further implications of Grenfell were, as we all know now, the non-suitable cladding. Neither of these points have anything to do with either Periodic Electrical Safety testing, or Co2 !!! ( its quite straight-forward really.)

Leave Comments

In order to post comments you will need to Sign In or Sign Up for a FREE Membership

or

Don't have an account? Sign Up

Landlord Tax Planning Book Now