In her speech at the Local Government Association Fire Conference, Penny Mordaunt said: “We estimate the regulations will result in up to 36 fewer fatalities and 1,529 fewer injuries over a 10 year period.”
Alongside this targeted regulation for carbon monoxide alarms the government intends to pursue non-regulatory alternatives to encourage installation of carbon monoxide alarms in all private rented sector properties.
The new regulations have been laid in Parliament and are expected to come into force, subject to Parliamentary approval, on 1st October 2015.
An additional £3 million of funding will be provided during this financial year to enable fire and rescue authorities to support landlords in the transition to complying with the new regulations. The funding will provide around 445,000 smoke and 40,000 carbon monoxide alarms which will be free to private sector landlords whose properties currently do not have alarms.
England’s 46 fire and rescue authorities will have the discretion to determine their own arrangements for the distribution of the alarms to private rented sector landlords in their area between now and October 2015 when the regulations are expected to come into force.