Carbon Monoxide Responsibilities

Landlords are required by law to have an annual gas safety check carried out by a gas engineer registered with the Gas Safe Register .  The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 deal with landlords’ duties to make sure gas appliances, fittings and flues provided for tenants are safe.

The threat to tenants is carbon monoxide poisoning, a silent killer.  But how far do landlords go over and above their legal obligation to have the annual gas safety check?

The Health Safety Executive (HSE) does recommend the use of CO alarms as useful precaution to give advance warning of CO in the rental property.  The cost of a CO alarm costs between £20-30.  The HSE also recommends that where the monitor is not provided by the landlord that the tenant purchases one themselves.  The CO alarm should comply with British Standard EN 50291 and carries a British or European approval mark, such as a Kitemark. CO alarms should be installed and maintained in line with the manufacturer's instructions.

However, have a look at these recent comments in our landlord forum from one of our landlords where CO monitors were deployed to protect the tenant.  You can then draw your own conclusion whether they are helpful in ensuring the safety of your tenants.

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