Wakefield Council is clamping down on landlords that do not comply with the smoke alarms law.
Council Clamping Down on Landlords That Don’t Comply with Smoke Alarms Law
As of 1st October 2015, all private landlords in England must install smoke alarms on each floor of their rental property and test them at the start of each tenancy.
Landlords must also install carbon monoxide alarms in all rooms with a solid fuel burning appliance.
The new legislation enables councils to take action against landlords that have not fitted the required alarms, after Parliament approved the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015.
Penalties for not complying with the law include a fine of up to £5,000.
The Cabinet Member for Economic Growth and Skills at Wakefield Council, Councillor Denise Jeffery, says: “We want to ensure that all rented properties in the district are safe. Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are cheap, easy to install and save lives.
“The council is urging all tenants in rented properties to contact their landlord to make sure the correct equipment is fitted in their home. Landlords have a duty to provide them. If your landlord fails to do this, please contact us immediately so that we can take action.”
If the council discovers that a landlord has not fulfilled their requirements, a remedial action notice will be served within 21 days. This notice will require the landlord to comply with the law within 28 days. If they don’t, the council will carry out the work and fine the landlord £5,000.
While many landlords support the aims of the regulations, some are concerned that the Government ignored calls from across the private rental sector to reconsider the timeframe for its enforcement last year.
Commenting on the passing of the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015 in Parliament last September, David Cox, the Managing Director of the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA), said: “Whilst these measures are entirely sensible, ARLA is concerned that landlords will not have enough time to comply with the requirements, as it is simply impracticable for letting agents, who may manage a huge amount of properties, to gain access to the properties and to install these alarms on behalf of their clients in the timeframe allotted.”
On behalf of its members, ARLA wrote to the Government on this issue to raise its concerns and suggest that all landlords with existing tenancies should be given more time to comply. Despite the group’s efforts, the Government went ahead and enforced the requirements as planned.
All landlords across England must comply with the law, or risk facing a hefty fine.