landlords - do they legally have to provide smoke alarms?

dearbarbie

i've just moved into a self-contained flat in a big period house, i'd say there were at least 6 flats here...not sure as not explored yet. just sorting my house insurance out and noticed there's no smoke alarm in the flat, or in the corridor outside? do landlords legally have to install smoke alarms?! there's lovely fire exit signs and emergency lighting outside my front door, but nope, no smoke alarm! any ideas? thanks

dws_72

Hi, from what i know all flats have to have mai ns powered smoke alarms, i own 4 flats and had them rewired last year and was told to have mians wired smoke alarms put in, i would have had them put in anyway as a matter of course, i also contacted the fire brigade to ask if i had to have a full blown fire system i the propertys and they said as long as there is no shared landings or hallways then just mains wired somes will do.
i would be tempted to ask around and get some more advice as i just going off personal experiance.
hope this helps

dearbarbie

thanks - think there is one in the bedroom (noticed red light above me when going to sleep!), strange place to put it but the rest of it is open plan so my OH's cooking would prob set it off otherwise!!

lynzpower

Im fairly sure too that a block like you describe would have to have hard wired systems.

liz545

The short answer is yes, they're required to provide smoke alarms: http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/detail?r.l3=1074458562&r.l2=1073859248&r.t=RESOURCES&r.i=1074460832&r.l1=1073858799&r.s=sc&type=RESOURCES&itemId=1074461057

clutton_2

nope - this site is only an advice line - it is not the law. Landlords of HMOs have to provide hard wired smoke alarms, landlords of normal properties are under no compulsion, although of course it makes sense to do so.

TJ27

clutton wrote: »

nope - this site is only an advice line - it is not the law. Landlords of HMOs have to provide hard wired smoke alarms, landlords of normal properties are under no compulsion, although of course it makes sense to do so.

True, but of course this sounds like it's a large building which has been converted into flats. If the conversion was done fairly recently then it should have complied with recent building regs and should have an alarm anyway.

If it was done some time ago and/or does not comply with recent building regs then it will in fact be a HMO.

So one way or another, it should have an alarm. (There are actually a few circumstances where an alarm may not be required in a HMO but they are quite rare.)

If it's 3 or more storeys then you should have a full "L2" system, with a control panel in the common parts, break glass points at exits and detectors in pretty much every room except bathrooms.

Best thing to do is phone the council and ask them to take a look.

Oh and if the council visit any house and do a HHSRS rating on the fire risk, which is not satisfactory, they can make owner put an alarm in whether it's a HMO or not. So landlords of non HMOs may not have an automatic legal obligation to fit alarms, but if the council tells them to do so then they must comply (or appeal, etc.).

Debt_Free_Chick

It's sounds like a house converted into six self contained flats ....

TJ27

Debt_Free_Chick wrote: »

It's sounds like a house converted into six self contained flats ....

Indeed. The number of flats doesn't really matter, although it may have some bearing on the layout and travel distances. It's the number of storeys that's important.

speedtwin

clutton wrote: »

nope - this site is only an advice line - it is not the law. Landlords of HMOs have to provide hard wired smoke alarms, landlords of normal properties are under no compulsion, although of course it makes sense to do so.

That is not completly right, normall properties before 1992 do not need smoke dectectors but properties built after june 1992 must have main, interlinked smoke detectors on each floor. The landlord should ensure that the detectors are working at the start of the tenancy.

If it was not working and a tenant was killed or maimed in a fire the landlord could be sued for negligence.

TJ27

speedtwin wrote: »

That is not completly right, normall properties before 1992 do not need smoke dectectors but properties built after june 1992 must have main, interlinked smoke detectors on each floor. The landlord should ensure that the detectors are working at the start of the tenancy.

If it was not working and a tenant was killed or maimed in a fire the landlord could be sued for negligence.

I don't think Clutton is exactly right but I don't think she's very far wrong either. Certainly she's thinking along the right lines. Flat conversion which comply with the 1992 building regs are not HMOs. So they do require an alarm under the building regs, but not by virtue of the fact that they are in multiple occupation. HMO laws could not be applied in such circumstances.

And non HMOs which do not comply with the 1992 building regs can still be assessed under the HHSRS. If they are deemed a fire risk then the likelihood is that an alarm will still be required. So "old, normal" properties may be legally required to have an alarm too.

Regarding suing landlords, well perhaps you could try but I don't know whether you'd be successful. I can assure you that things are rarely that simple because precisely that has happened in my area very recently.