New Landlord Regulations for Smoke, Heat and Carbon Monoxide Alarms

In May of this year, there were several changes made to Section 8 of the Private
Tenancies Act (NI) 2022 in the aim to ensure all tenants’ safety and to reduce
damage in private rental properties.
Landlords must now meet all the following requirements.
(1) Smoke alarms are to be fitted in the main room and in all circulation spaces on
every floor
(2) Every kitchen must have a heat alarm
(3) Carbon monoxide alarms must be installed in any space where there is a fire
combustion appliance or flue (including any rooms where flues pass through)
(4) All smoke & heat alarms must be connected and interlinked so they all sound
when one is triggered with the exception to Carbon Monoxide alarms.
Landlords of new tenancies starting after the 1st September 2024 must be vigilant
with the above changes as their deadline for compliance is the day that the Tenancy
begins.
Existing tenancies which started before September 2024 have until the 1st December
2024 to make any alterations.
It is important to note that even if a property may currently have all the correct alarms
in the correct spaces inside the property, it is crucial that they should all be
interlinked and so replacements to current alarms may be necessary.
After a landlord has installed the alarms and has tested them, it is up to the tenants
to test them weekly so that the onus lies with both parties.
Focusing on the cost implications that these new regulations will have, the
Department for Communities has updated the Regulatory Impact Assessment to
reflect an increase in alarm costs for a standard 3 bedroom to be approximately
£200. Surveys can also be acquired for a relatively low figure for any Landlords
looking confirmation of compliance. Further information on related fees can be found
at https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2024/114/pdfs/ukia_20240114_en.pdf
Landlords can make themselves more aware of the provisions and common queries
surrounding the topic by reading the following summary in the below link:
https://www.communities-ni.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/communities/dfcsummary-
report-private-tenancies-act-ni-2022.pdf