Landlords urged to act ahead of proposed new safety laws

14 August 2015

Landlords are being urged to ensure that they are ready for proposed new safety laws due to come into force from 1 October 2015.

The new regulations will require private rented sector landlords to improve the fire safety of their tenants, as well as offer protection against carbon monoxide poisoning.

For relevant properties, the proposed regulations will make it compulsory for landlords to:

• Install a smoke alarm on every floor of their property
• Fit a carbon monoxide detector in rooms containing a solid fuel appliance
• Check that all alarms are working at the start of every new tenancy

Enforcement of the new regulations is the responsibility of the local housing authority. If a landlord fails to fit and maintain alarms in their properties, the council has power to levy a penalty charge of up to £5,000.

Find your local housing authority below:

Hull City Council
East Riding of Yorkshire Council
North Lincolnshire Council
North East Lincolnshire Council

All ‘specified tenancies’ are affected by the change in rules, i.e. residential premises where a person or persons have a right to occupy the premises and rent is payable.

Ahead of the regulations coming into force, all Fire & Rescue Services – including Humberside – have been provided with a limited supply of smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms by the Government under the Alarms4Life scheme, to be distributed to landlords free of charge.

HFRS’s Public Safety Team will also be on hand at the locations and times listed below to provide advice to landlords on the correct installation of the alarms.

Landlords wishing to apply for free smoke and / or carbon monoxide alarms must apply for them personally by completing the ‘Private Rented Sector Landlord Request Form’ by clicking here to download a form. (please note this form no longer exisits 2021)

Please note we are unable to process bulk requests from agents on behalf of landlords.

Once completed, please bring the form to one of the following locations between 10.00am and 3.00pm on Monday 7 September 2015:

North Bank
Beverley Fire Station
New Walkergate
Beverley
HU17 9EQ

Bridlington Fire Station
Bessingby Road
Bridlington
East Yorkshire
YO16 4TS

Goole Fire Station
Anderson Road
Goole
East Yorkshire
DN14 6XF

Bransholme Fire Station
Noddle Hill Way
Hull
East Yorkshire
HU7 4SH

South Bank
Peaks Lane Fire Station
Peaks Lane
Grimsby
North East Lincolnshire
DN32 9RS

Scunthorpe Fire Station
Laneham Street
Scunthorpe
North Lincolnshire
DN15 6JP

Please note that alarms will only be provided in return for a completed application form.

As quantities are limited, provision of free alarms is restricted to five qualifying properties per landlord and will be distributed on a strictly ‘first come, first served’ basis and will not be given out before 10.00am on Monday 7 September under any circumstances.

The regulations specifically exclude registered social landlords from these obligations. Certain types of properties and arrangements are also excluded, such as houses in multiple occupation (HMOs), lodgers, long leases, student halls of residence, hostels and refuges, care homes, hospitals and hospices. However, other appropriate legislation applies in most cases.

Please find FAQs here which should outline everything you may need to know. Any other queries can be addressed on the day.

Landlords who do not receive free alarms will still be expected to install alarms in their properties before 1 October as required by the new Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015 which can be viewed here.