40% of tenants at risk due to no working smoke alarms

It has been revealed that only 57% of flatsharers are certain that their homes have working smoke alarms, according to a recent study by flatsharing site SpareRoom.co.uk.

As of October 1 2015, all landlords were required to install working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in their properties, but this study suggests that many landlords haven’t abided to this recent legislative alteration.

The survey, which was carried out after the October 1 deadline, revealed that less than six in ten tenants were certain that their home contained a working smoke alarm, and shockingly, 15% of tenants revealed that they had no working smoke alarms in their homes at all.

The survey also claimed that 7% of tenants have taken their life into their own hands and have removed the batteries from their smoke detector. 

These new regulations were introduced to ensure safety measure were being met in the private rental sector, and the government has predicted that these legislative changes will prevent up to 26 deaths and 670 injuries every year.

Although various industry bodies have discussed these changes for a couple of months now, it appears that a high proportion of landlords (50%) are completely unaware of the changes.

Matt Hutchinson, director of SpareRoom.co.uk comments: “Fitting working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors is now a legal requirement for landlords, yet half remain none the wiser. Professional landlords are the most likely to be clued up on this regulatory change, but the Government will have its work cut out to educate those who don’t already have working alarms in their properties.”