LANDLORDS will soon have to take additional steps to avoid the potential threat to their tenants from carbon monoxide poisoning and failure to do so will carry a financial penalty.

Measures announced by housing minister Brandon Lewis in March are expected to come into effect later this year and will require many rented homes to be fitted with at least one carbon monoxide alarm. Landlords who fail to comply will be liable to a civil penalty of up to £5,000.

Elaine Dunlop, branch manager at Perry Bishop & Leaders in Stroud, says landlords will need to install a carbon monoxide alarm in any part of a property that is deemed to carry a high risk - such as rooms in which a gas or solid fuel appliance is present.

“With an increasing number of tenants in rented accommodation in Stroud, it is inevitable the spotlight will focus more and more on safety - and this is something Perry Bishop & Leaders welcomes,” Elaine stated.

“The overriding responsibility of a landlord has always been to provide a safe environment for their tenant, and the new measures will help to ensure this remains the case.”

Statistics show approximately 40 deaths and 670 serious injuries are caused across the UK by carbon monoxide poisoning each year.

Elaine explains: “Carbon monoxide has no taste, smell or colour, so it is easy to understand how so many people are unaware of its presence. Cases of poisoning can be down to poor installation, a lack of maintenance or damage to a gas appliance within a property.

“The good news is that deaths and injuries caused by carbon monoxide can be easily avoided through the use of a functioning detector. The equipment will alert a homeowner as soon as carbon monoxide levels rise above the norm, giving them and their landlord time to act.

Perry Bishop & Leaders is a long-term supporter of carbon monoxide safety campaigns and measures, including the annual Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week in November. It also has stringent measures in place to ensure landlords have regular gas inspections carried out by an engineer who is registered with Gas Safe Register.

“We will be just as rigorous when it comes to ensuring our landlords comply with the new carbon monoxide and smoke alarms regulations once they are introduced later this year,” Elaine confirms.

For more information please contact Perry Bishop & Leaders in Stroud on 01453 756100 or visit perrybishopandleaders.com