New research among tenants has found that nearly 10% of rented homes with gas appliances don’t have a carbon monoxide alarm fitted, leaving the landlords of these properties open to fines of up to £5,000.

The figures have been released to coincide with Carbon Monoxide Awareness week and published by appliance care provider Domestic & General.

For the past two years it has been a legal requirement for landlords of rented homes that feature gas appliances to have a carbon monoxide alarm within the property, as stipulated by the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations since October 2022.

Properties must feature such an alarm in any room used ‘as living accommodation’ which includes a fixed combustion appliance (excluding gas cookers) such as a gas boiler.

Every level

Ian Palmer-Smith (pictured), appliance repair expert at Domestic & General, says: “How many alarms you need depends on the size of your home and the number of applicable appliances you have.

“As a general rule, you should have a CO alarm on every level of a rented property, as well as near areas such as bedrooms, and any room that contains a boiler, fire, or stove.”

Landlords are being urged to test the alarms on a monthly basis, and Palmer-Smith says that: “Carbon monoxide is both invisible and dangerous, which means we have to rely on alarms to alert us of its presence”.

The Carbon Monoxide Awareness week campaigns points out that in England and Wales there are approximately 40 deaths and more than 440 hospital admissions each year as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Symptoms include fatigue, nausea, dizziness, confusion, shortness of breath, blurred vision, clumsiness, chest pain, disorientation, fainting or collapse, seizures and vomiting.