Problems with landlord after failed smoke alarm

silvercar

ThunderHoof said:

ElephantBoy57 said:

ThunderHoof said:

after trying to shut it off for another 30 minutes I removed it from the ceiling with no damage to the unit in order to avoid disturbance to the other tenants.

Was it battery operated or wired in?

Both, there is a 9v battery and a 240v mains molex type connector going to it.

Could it be as simple as the 9v battery needing replacing?

ThunderHoof

Angela_D_3 said:

I guess I couldn’t sleep at night without a working smoke alarm.  For your own safety get the damn thing reinstalled ASAP 

There is a working smoke alarm, this is an additional heat alarm in the kitchen area.

ThunderHoof

Norman_Castle said:

Smoke alarm or heat alarm connected to a larger fire alarm system? Look online for the manufacturers instruction on how to refit it. Explain you will not do further tests due to the problems caused during this one and their lack of response.

Does your service charge include a cost for testing the smoke alarms?

I don't know if it's connected to a larger system or not. I see a fire alarm panel in the entrance with more than enough zones for every apartment, but would surely have thought if it were connected to a larger system there would have been some sort of response to the alarm?

I don't have a service charge.

theartfullodger

Any landlord who doesn't ensure promptly that there are fully working fire and heat and smoke detectors is an idiot.  Probably breach of fire insurance. Move out!

A sensible landlord would swiftly get it up & working again, then if they genuinely thought it was tenant's fault ask nicely for payment, sue or pursue through deposit scheme . Doubt they'll succeed with any.

Artful: Landlord since 2000

ThunderHoof

I've read through the inventory again and in the report they were checked off as "tested", but who really knows tbh.

I have finally got them to get someone to come round on Monday to sort the whole thing out. The issue of me disconnecting the heat alarm seems totally academic, they would still have to pay to call someone out to investigate the fault and both the alarms have "test weekly" written on them so I don't even know why they were asking me why I was testing them, as if you should need permission to test your smoke alarm!

ElephantBoy57

You say that when you rang the emergency number it went to voicemail, did you just ring it once and did you leave a message? Have you worked out if the number is the right one?

It all comes down to if you acted reasonably.

ThunderHoof

Yes I rang it twice and left a voicemail message, only got a response about 30 minutes later by which time I'd given up hope quite frankly and already disconnected it as it had been going off for around an hour and was causing a disturbance to other flats. The landlord had provided no guidance whatsoever on what to do in this situation, there is no information at all about what procedures to follow in the event of a failed alarm, other than to contact such and such number for the group that manages the fire alarm which is a daytime only number, and providing a catch all out of hours number for general issues which they refer to as an "emergency number" so I felt totally in the dark.

ThunderHoof

silvercar said:

ThunderHoof said:

ElephantBoy57 said:

ThunderHoof said:

after trying to shut it off for another 30 minutes I removed it from the ceiling with no damage to the unit in order to avoid disturbance to the other tenants.

Was it battery operated or wired in?

Both, there is a 9v battery and a 240v mains molex type connector going to it.

Could it be as simple as the 9v battery needing replacing?

No, on the back on the alarm it states that if the battery needs replacing it makes a beep every 5 mins or so.

Norman_Castle

ThunderHoof said:

Norman_Castle said:

Smoke alarm or heat alarm connected to a larger fire alarm system? Look online for the manufacturers instruction on how to refit it. Explain you will not do further tests due to the problems caused during this one and their lack of response.

Does your service charge include a cost for testing the smoke alarms?

I don't know if it's connected to a larger system or not. I see a fire alarm panel in the entrance with more than enough zones for every apartment, but would surely have thought if it were connected to a larger system there would have been some sort of response to the alarm?

Where I live the smoke alarms sound only in individual properties but the heat alarms set off the fire alarm system sounding in every flat and communal areas. There's no automated response, someone has to phone and we all have to wait for it to be turned off.

ThunderHoof

Norman_Castle said:

ThunderHoof said:

Norman_Castle said:

Smoke alarm or heat alarm connected to a larger fire alarm system? Look online for the manufacturers instruction on how to refit it. Explain you will not do further tests due to the problems caused during this one and their lack of response.

Does your service charge include a cost for testing the smoke alarms?

I don't know if it's connected to a larger system or not. I see a fire alarm panel in the entrance with more than enough zones for every apartment, but would surely have thought if it were connected to a larger system there would have been some sort of response to the alarm?

Where I live the smoke alarms sound only in individual properties but the heat alarms set off the fire alarm system sounding in every flat and communal areas. There's no automated response, someone has to phone and we all have to wait for it to be turned off.

Sounds like there are multiple faults with our system then, in fact rechecking the video I took of me testing the alarm when I pressed the smoke alarm button it wasn't even the smoke alarm that sounded it was the heat alarm and only the heat alarm, it didn't set anyone else's alarm off so god only know what would have happened if there was a real fire! It will be interesting to see what the fire alarm company say on Monday.