There is no single statutory fire safety certificate for a rented home. What landlords need is evidence that they meet the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022: a working smoke alarm on every storey, CO alarms in rooms with fixed combustion appliances, and a check on the first day of each tenancy. BritCertify tests and certifies alarms across London from £69 inc. VAT.
Is a fire safety certificate a legal requirement for landlords?
Not as a single document. There is no statutory ‘fire safety certificate’ for most rented homes. The law requires working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and, in buildings with shared parts or in HMOs, a fire risk assessment. A fire safety certificate is how you prove the alarm part: a dated record that the alarms were present, correctly placed and working when they were checked.
Letting agents, insurers and HMO licensing teams ask for one because they need evidence on file, not just a landlord’s word. That is why the certificate is worth having even though the law does not use the name.
What do the 2022 smoke and CO alarm rules require?
Since 1 October 2022, private and social landlords in England have had four duties under the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022.
| Duty | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| Smoke alarm on every storey | At least one smoke alarm on each storey with a room used wholly or partly as living accommodation, including loft rooms and basements used as living space |
| CO alarm by fixed combustion appliances | A CO alarm in any room used as living accommodation that contains a fixed combustion appliance, such as a gas boiler, gas fire, wood burner or open fire. Gas cookers are excluded. |
| Repair or replace | Faulty alarms must be repaired or replaced once the landlord is told about the fault |
| Check at the start of each tenancy | Every alarm must be checked and working on the first day of each new tenancy |
Councils can fine landlords up to £5,000 for a breach. The government’s explanatory booklet for landlords sets out the detail. These are minimums: BS 5839-6 recommends fuller coverage, and HMO licence conditions often go further.
What evidence do landlords actually need?
A paper trail showing the right alarms were in place and working at the right times, plus whatever else applies to your type of property.
| Property | Fire safety evidence to keep |
|---|---|
| Single-let flat or house | A record of the first-day alarm check for each tenancy, an alarm certificate, and records of repairs after a tenant reports a fault |
| Flat in a block or converted house | All of the above, plus the fire safety information the freeholder provides from the communal fire risk assessment |
| HMO | A fire risk assessment, a fire alarm certificate for the system (often annually under the licence), emergency lighting records where fitted, and fire door checks |
Gas safety records, the EICR and the EPC are separate documents with their own rules. Our London landlord safety certificates checklist sets out the full set.
What does our fire safety certificate check?
Every alarm in the home, not one per floor. For each alarm, our engineer:
- presses the test button and, on interlinked systems, confirms that every other alarm sounds too;
- identifies the type (smoke, heat or CO) and the power source: mains with a standby battery, sealed long-life battery or replaceable battery;
- reads the manufacture or replace-by date printed on the alarm;
- checks the position against the regulations and the manufacturer’s instructions, for example a smoke alarm in a kitchen that will cause nuisance alarms, or one too far from the bedrooms to be heard;
- confirms that rooms with a boiler, gas fire, wood burner or open fire have a CO alarm.
The certificate lists each alarm’s location, type, power source, date and result, so your agent can see exactly what was tested rather than a single tick box. If the property has a panel-based system rather than individual alarms, that is covered by a fire alarm certificate instead.
What problems do we find in London rented homes?
The most common problem is not a missing alarm but a disabled one.
- Batteries removed after a burnt-toast false alarm and never replaced.
- Alarms painted over, or still wearing the dust covers decorators fitted.
- Alarms well past the replace-by date printed on the base.
- A boiler in a bedroom cupboard, a common arrangement in London flats, with no CO alarm in the bedroom.
- A loft conversion bedroom with no alarm on that storey.
- Radio-interlinked alarms that have lost their pairing, so each one only sounds on its own.
- CO alarms fitted at the wrong height or too far from the appliance to give a reliable warning.
Where alarms are old or battery-only, replacing them with mains-powered interlinked alarms or sealed long-life battery units is usually better value than repeated call-outs. Our fire alarm installation team can quote for that.
How should landlords handle the first-day check?
Test every alarm on the day the tenancy starts, in front of the tenant if you can, and get it recorded. A line on the check-in inventory signed by the tenant is good evidence; a dated photograph of each alarm sounding is better than nothing.
Show tenants how to test the alarms and ask them to report faults straight away. Once you are told an alarm is faulty, the duty to repair or replace it applies, so record the date of the report and the date of the fix. For portfolio landlords and agents, booking our certificate between tenancies means the property is checked and documented before the new tenant arrives.
Does a CO alarm replace the gas safety check?
No. A CO alarm warns occupants if something goes wrong; it does not check that the appliance is safe. Under regulation 36 of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, landlords must still have gas appliances, fittings and flues checked every 12 months by a Gas Safe registered engineer. You can book the gas safety certificate and the alarm check on the same visit, so both records carry the same date and the tenant only has to provide access once.
How much does a fire safety certificate cost?
Pricing is by the number of detectors: £69 inc. VAT for up to 3, £89 for up to 5 and £139 for up to 10, with larger properties quoted. If an alarm fails, we tell you on the day and quote for a replacement before fitting anything. Certificates are typically emailed the same day. We hold £5 million public liability insurance, and our engineers have been certifying London properties since 2018.
Smoke alarm / fire safety certificate prices (inc. VAT)
| Option | Price (inc. VAT) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 3 detectors | £69 | Typical flat on one level |
| Up to 5 detectors | £89 | Typical two-storey house |
| Up to 10 detectors | £139 | Larger houses and small HMOs |
| More than 10 detectors | Quote | Larger HMOs and multi-unit buildings |
All prices include VAT. Replacement alarms, if needed, are quoted before fitting. Central London parking or Congestion Charge may be added; we always confirm before booking.
Book this serviceWhat's included
- Test of every smoke, heat and CO alarm
- Interlink check on connected alarms
- Replace-by date recorded for each alarm
- Siting check against the 2022 regulations
- CO alarm check in rooms with fixed combustion appliances
- Dated certificate listing each alarm's location and result
- Certificate typically emailed the same day
How it works
Book and count alarms
Tell us roughly how many smoke, heat and CO alarms the property has and whether any connect to a panel. We confirm the price tier.
Test every alarm
Our engineer tests each alarm and interlink, checks power, siting and replace-by dates, and confirms CO alarms beside fixed combustion appliances.
Certificate issued
You receive a dated certificate listing each alarm, its location and result, typically emailed the same day, ready for your agent or tenancy file.
Fix anything that fails
If an alarm fails or is missing, we explain why and quote for a replacement before fitting, so the home meets the 2022 regulations.
Fire Safety (Smoke Alarm) Certificate: frequently asked questions
Can landlords test smoke alarms themselves?
Yes. The 2022 regulations require alarms to be working on the first day of each tenancy, and a landlord or agent can do that check by pressing each test button and recording the result. An independent certificate adds weight: it records every alarm's type, position and date, which helps when an agent, insurer or council asks for evidence, and it catches problems a quick button press can miss.
Does a gas cooker need a carbon monoxide alarm?
No. The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022 exclude gas cookers. A CO alarm is required in any room used as living accommodation that contains a fixed combustion appliance, such as a gas boiler, gas fire, wood burner or open fire. Some landlords still choose to fit one in kitchens with gas hobs as an extra precaution.
Where should smoke alarms be fitted in a rented flat?
The legal minimum is one smoke alarm on each storey with living accommodation. In practice the most effective position is the hallway or landing people use to escape, on the ceiling and away from kitchen and bathroom doors. Kitchens are better served by a heat alarm interlinked with the others. Always follow the manufacturer's siting instructions and BS 5839-6 recommendations.
Are battery smoke alarms acceptable under the 2022 regulations?
The regulations do not specify the type of alarm, so battery alarms can meet the legal minimum. Sealed long-life battery alarms are a better choice than replaceable-battery ones, because tenants cannot remove the battery. HMO licence conditions, building work such as loft conversions and BS 5839-6 recommendations often call for mains-powered interlinked alarms instead, so check what applies to your property.
How often do I need a new fire safety certificate?
The law does not set a renewal date. It requires alarms to be checked working on the first day of every new tenancy and repaired once you know they are faulty. Some letting agents ask for a fresh certificate at each new tenancy or once a year, and London HMO licences commonly require an annual alarm certificate, so check your agreement and licence.
What should I do if a tenant reports a faulty alarm?
Arrange a repair or replacement promptly. The regulations require faulty alarms to be repaired or replaced once the landlord is informed, and councils can fine landlords up to £5,000 for breaches. Record when the report came in and when the fix was done. If several alarms are old or failing, replacing them together is usually cheaper than repeated visits.
Sources and official guidance
Written and checked by the BritCertify technical team. Last reviewed 6 October 2026.