Carbon monoxide: your landlord's duties and what to do

Direct answer

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a gas you cannot see or smell that can kill. It comes from faulty or badly serviced boilers, heaters, fires, and flues. Since 1 October 2022, social and private landlords in England must put a carbon monoxide alarm in any room you live in that has a fixed combustion appliance (such as a gas or oil boiler or a log burner), and must fix or replace a broken alarm once you tell them. If you smell gas or feel unwell, treat it as an emergency. If your landlord has ignored a faulty boiler, flue, or alarm, you may have a disrepair claim, call us free on 0800 030 4669.

What the law says

Under the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022, your landlord must:

• Fit a carbon monoxide alarm in any room used as living space that has a fixed appliance burning fuel (gas, oil, wood, coal), apart from a gas cooker.
• Fit a smoke alarm on every floor of the home.
• Repair or replace any alarm you report as faulty.

On top of this, gas appliances must be safety-checked every year by a Gas Safe registered engineer, and you should get a copy of the gas safety certificate.

Warning signs of carbon monoxide

• Headaches, dizziness, feeling sick or tired that gets better when you leave the home
• A boiler or heater flame that burns orange or yellow instead of crisp blue
• Sooty or yellow/brown stains around an appliance
• A pilot light that keeps going out, or more condensation than usual on windows

What to do right now

1. If you feel unwell or suspect a leak: turn off the appliance, open windows and doors, leave the home, and call the free Gas Emergency line on 0800 111 999. Seek medical help.
2. Report it to your landlord in writing and ask for an urgent inspection.
3. Test your alarms. If an alarm is missing or broken, report it in writing, the landlord must put it right.
4. Keep copies of every report and the dates.

Where we fit in

Support for Tenants helps with housing disrepair claims. A faulty boiler, broken flue, or missing safety alarm that your landlord has been told about and not fixed is exactly the kind of hazard a claim can cover, and under Awaab's Law a serious, immediate danger like this should be made safe within 24 hours. Call us free on 0800 030 4669, send the short form, or message us on WhatsApp. See also tenants' rights when there is no heating and where to get other housing help.

Sources

• Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022 (legislation.gov.uk)
• Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms: explanatory booklet for landlords (GOV.UK)
• Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 (legislation.gov.uk)
• Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, Section 11 (legislation.gov.uk)