A report on houses in England has revealed that just over 20% of homes in the private rented sector have a CO alarm, raising concerns about the safety of occupants and calls for revised regulation.
The Government’s latest annual English Housing Survey (2015-2016) has raised concerns about the significant lack of carbon monoxide alarms in privately rented homes. Figures from the Survey, published in March, revealed that four in every five rental properties did not have a CO alarm and are therefore not protected from the risks of CO poisoning.
In 2015, only about a quarter (28%) of all the dwelling types considered in the survey had a carbon monoxide alarm. Private rented dwellings came out on bottom, with just 21% having an alarm. Social rented homes ranked next, at 28%. Owner-occupied homes were most likely to have an alarm, at 31%.
When it came to dwellings with a solid fuel burning appliance, such as a coal fire or wood burning stove, they were more likely (33%) to have a carbon monoxide alarm than dwellings with no solid fuel appliance (28%). However, only 25% in the private rental sector with a solid fuel appliance had a CO alarm. This is despite the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015 for private rental homes, which require landlords to fit a CO alarm in rooms containing these appliances.
According to the Gas Industry Safety Group (GISG), the latest English Homes Survey shows a slight increase in the use of CO alarms over the previous report but believes more progress needs to be made. GISG would like to see the use of CO alarms on par with smoke alarms, which is currently greater than 80%.
“It is good to see some improvement in the number of homes protected by CO alarms,” says Chris Bielby, Chairman of GISG, “but it is disappointing that the figures do not show higher levels of use. GISG would like to see more protection of tenants, so with the Smoke and CO Alarm Regulations for the private rental sector being reviewed in October 2017, there is an immediate opportunity for an amendment to cover all fuel types.”
Barry Sheerman MP, Co-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Carbon Monoxide Group, agrees that the time is due for a change in regulations: “There is a great opportunity this year for Westminster to bring the English landlord regulations more closely into line with those in Scotland and Northern Ireland, where CO alarms are required for rented properties with gas, oil or solid-fuel appliances. This would be a simple change to make to the existing regulations.”
