As a Landlord, you have a long list of things you need to do. How high on that list is keeping your tenants safe from Fire and Carbon Monoxide (CO2)?
You are legally required to supply a working smoke and carbon monoxide alarm to your tenants, and you must abide by all fire safety regulations. If you don’t, you could face penalties.
Your tenants, your responsibility
You must remember that, as the landlord of private rented property, the safety of your tenants is in your hands. You as an individual could be held liable for any injury or harm caused to your tenant in your property if there is a fire or CO2 leak, so make sure you are covered.
Since the Housing Act (2004) was signed, local authorities have the right to inspect your property under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System to check you are following regulations. If you have a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO), there will be even more strict regulations to comply with.
To avoid being penalised, it’s always best to seek the advice of trained professionals to ensure you’re following regulations.
We do the hard work for you
Letting your property can come with a lot of stresses and complications, and so it’s easy to overlook your safety responsibilities. However, you have a legal obligation to ensure that your rented properties are safe, and the risk of fire and CO2 poisoning has been minimised.
Our safety team at UniteSES has many years of experience working with landlords to ensure they’re fully compliant with regulations and guidelines. We’ll assist and advise you, supply you with the right equipment, and carry out a thorough and professional installation. We help you identify fire hazards and advise you on putting together a comprehensive risk assessment.
We give you peace of mind by making sure your rental property complies with all up to date regulations and legislation, enabling you to feel confident that you’re keeping within current standards. We provide advice on the following:
- Where alarms should be fitted
- How to interlink/connect alarms
- How to maintain alarms
- Standards to be me.
What is CO2 poisoning?
The effects of CO2 poisoning look similar to flu – with symptoms like headaches, nausea and fatigue. Small leaks can leave lasting damage on a person’s brain if exposed over long periods of time. In bad CO2 leaks, a person can be left unconscious and dying within minutes.
As a landlord, you have a Duty of Care to the people living in your property. CO2 gas is invisible, and it has no smell or taste. It’s undetectable to the naked eye. This is why it’s crucial that you have an appropriate CO2 alarm installed at your property.
Common sources of CO2
Some of the most common household sources of CO2 include the following wood, oil or gas-fuelled appliances:
- Boilers
- Room heaters
- Furnaces
- Charcoal grills
- Cooking ranges
- Water heaters
- Vehicles run in closed garages
- Fireplaces
- Portable generators
- Wood burning stoves
What do I have to do?
Part of your responsibility means giving your tenants the earliest possible warning of CO2 to enable them to escape and call out a Gas Safe registered engineer to find the leak.
However, it’s key to remember that you cannot see, smell or taste CO2. An alarm is the only way to detect this serious risk. Since 2015, it has become a legal obligation to provide CO2 and smoke alarms to your property. A CO2 alarm should be in any room with a fuel-burning appliance.
Fire safety – what are the risks?
Fires happen for a myriad of reasons. It could be a malfunctioning electrical appliance, an accident while cooking, or something as simple as a candle. Whatever the cause, it’s imperative that you do everything you can to protect and alert your tenants to the presence of fire.
What action is required?
It is a legal responsibility for landlords to provide working fire alarms to their properties, actively minimise fire risk, and conduct a thorough landlord fire risk assessment on behalf of their tenants.
You are required to have at least one working smoke alarm on each floor of your rental property. Landlords are encouraged to implement some rules to reduce the risk of fire, such as the prohibition of smoking inside. You can outline these in your tenancy agreement.
If you have an HMO, you are legally required to install fire doors in your property. These doors help contain fires, minimising damage and allowing your tenants more time to exit the property. Your electrical systems must also be tested by an external professional every five years to minimise the risk of electrical fires.
As a landlord, you must carry out a fire risk assessment. This will identify and remove hazards and outline fire escape routes in the property.
Call us today
At UniteSES, we provide a complete survey to supply and fit all items required throughout your single or complete occupied houses. After many years in the industry, we can help you ensure your property is safe, fit for purpose and complies with rules and regulations.
If you would like more information, please contact us.
