Doing some work for a guy who is abroad & has let his house. I have a list of exactly what he wants done and one item is 'fit smoke alarm'.
The tenant says it must be a mains smoke alarm to comply with 'the regulations'. Is this right? If so it's going to come to a lot more than installing a battery model.
Anyone know? Is it building regs or something else?
I don't think mains is essential, but they must be the ones with non- removable batteries (so the arsey tenant can't disable them while he burns his toast of a morning). I refer the honourable gentleman to the answer given some time ago by Mr Lurch:
"BS5839: Pt 6. Basically it says that as a minimum in dwellings you require a smoke detector in each communal area, so in a average 3\4 bed semi\detached you'd have one in the hall and one on the landing. These detectors should have built in non removable backup, lithium battery\capacitor or similar."
Cheers!
Martin
If it's a new conversion to comply with Building Regs, or is covered by HMO Regs, then those are the regs in question. otherwise AFAIK any smoke alarm is acceptable. The insurers or letting agent might have their own requirements though.
Part B of Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations 1991. ...1.4 The smoke alarms should be mains-operated and conform to BS 5446 .............. ........They may have a secondary power supply such as a battery (either rechargeable or replaceable) or capacitor. More information on power supplies is given in clause 13 of BS 5839: Part 6: 1995.
However a mains powered battery one is much less likely to be disabled by a tenant 'borrowing' the battery (although this sounds like a nice conscientious tenant...)
A fairly easy way of fitting one would be:
Otherwise use a ceiling rose adapter,
Owain
ISTR building regs require mains mains smoke alarms for new builds and conversions. But for domestic property the regs are not retrospective.
There are however other regs covering rental property (requiring yearly boiler checks for instance).
powered ones are OK only in bungalows and flats (if they are rented). Quite what the number of storeys has to do with it is not clear to me.
"BS 5839: Pt.6 acknowledges the advantages of the single, battery operated smoke alarm. They are simple to install and offer protection at very low cost. Battery operated smoke alarms conforming to BS 5446: Pt.1 are recommended. Battery operated smoke alarms are suitable for owner-occupied buildings with up to two storeys, as well as for rented bungalows and flats. However, battery operated smoke/heat alarms do have drawbacks. Occupants on a tight budget may not be able to afford to replace the batteries. A significant number of tenants have also been shown to remove the batteries to prevent false alarms or to use in other battery powered devices and then forget to replace them. For this reason, the Code recommends that these alarms should not be used to protect tenants in properties of more than one storey - and even then the batteries should be sealed-in and have a life in excess of 5 years.
As an aside, landlords have now been found liable in cases where tenants themselves have disabled an alarm. For this reason, it is unlikely that landlords will be able to trust tenants to adequately look after the alarms. The Code highlights the fact that battery powered alarms are only suitable for owner-occupied properties if the likelihood is, that batteries will be replaced within five days of a low battery signal."
As far as I understand it mains smoke alarms are only mandatory in new builds or properties with 'multiple occupany' like B&Bs and houses converted to flats. As far as this tenant is concerned battery operated is fine, as long as the battery is sealed in the alarm and not removable. Of course all smoke alarms have to meet BS5446 but I doubt you'll be able to find one that isn't.
spotlight thingy on the landing.
I'll have to take a feed from that.
On Wed, 29 Aug 2007 12:40:33 -0700 someone who may be Martin Pentreath quoted this:-
The number of storeys has nothing to do with this, no matter how many assertions the authors make without quoting supporting evidence.
Given that owner-occupiers sometimes take holidays lasting more than five days, it is unlikely that this restriction will always be complied with.
mains interlinked alarms become mandatory once you go over three storeys IIUC.
A friend lives in a block of flats where, recently, one of the occupants of another flat managed to have a chip pan fire. The fire brigade sent one of their fire prevention officers around, who fitted, free of charge, a battery operated smoke alarm in any flats that did not have one.
Colin Bignell
That's a positive solution from the Fire Service but we still need to know what a landlord's obligation is. I suspect, but readily admit to not knowing, that anything above one storey for multiple tenancy needs mains supplied fire alarms, (though others have suggested three storey).
Maybe it is because you don't need a warning if you can jump out the window? We recently had the house rewired and mains smoke detectors were put in even if there is an interruption to the mains supply they have a battery backup, and the alarms (2) are linked so if one goes off they both do there is no way you could sleep through those going off.
When I was a student I lived in student flats (Dundee, Alloway place) where smoke detectors had been fitted throughout even in the kitchens any time someone burned toast or WHY the alarms went off and being student flats three appliances had to attend including one of those big schnorkel things, was later realised a heat detector rather than a smoke detector should have been fitted in the kitchens.
It has a lot to do with it.
The theory behind interlinked mains smoke detectors is that if an alarm goes off on the ground floor, you will hear an alarm near where you are, fumbling around on the 3rd floor, and get out before the fire cuts you off.
My Letting agent said that if I fit smoke alarms the landlord or letting agent become responsible for regular testing, so they advise the tenant to fit there own and so take responsibility for the testing
Older properties do not have to comply but landlords would be well advised to provide at least battery operated smoke alarms in the property.
It is important to determine who is responsible for testing and maintaining the smoke alarms - the landlord, agent or tenant. If the agent is to be responsible, this should be noted in the management contract. If the tenant is to be made responsible for this then adequate warnings must be given in writing.
Documents such as the tenancy agreement, the inventory and the appliance operating instruction and emergency procedures information pack given to tenants, should mention the responsibility of the tenant to test and replace batteries in smoke alarms when fitted.
There's apparently some dodgy quoting here but, I take it you are referring to this statement, which has been cut from the OP's post.
Looks like the OP is using BS 5839 (part 6 2004 I presume) as the quoted supporting evidence. This is pretty clear in as far that for existing dwellings the number of storeys (and floor area) is taken into account regarding the grade of protection required.
cheers
David
One relevant document is BS 5839-6: 2004 Fire detection and fire alarm systems for buildings ? Part 6: Code of practice for the design, installation and maintenance of fire detection and fire alarm systems in dwellings
Your library might have a copy. It is however a code of practice,and generally only makes recommendations, but I presume the legislation or local requirements will make reference to this as the minimum level required.
My reading of it is that for rented property (
I'd fit an 'optical' type smoke alarm and not the burnt-toast-and- shower-steam-detector 'ionisation' type.
IMHO the latter give smoke alarms a bad name and invariably get disabled to avoid numerous false alarms.
cheers, Pete.
Read it again. You'll find that he did.
MBQ
Sorted - Kidde smake alarm with built in litium ion power pack - minimum 10 year life. Tennant happy!
On Thu, 30 Aug 2007 10:37:22 +0100 someone who may be The Natural Philosopher wrote this:-
Incorrect.
Battery-operated interlinked smoke alarms do this just as well.
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