Around 445,000 smoke alarms and 40,000 carbon monoxide alarms have now been issued to the 46 fire and rescue authorities in England in a bid to encourage agents and landlords to meet their safety obligations ahead of their October deadline.

Statistics show that tenants are at least four times more likely to die in a fire in a home where there is no working smoke alarm. 

From October, anyone renting out a propertywill need to ensure there is a smoke alarm on every floor of the home at the start of a tenancy as well as a carbon monoxide detector in rooms with a solid fuel appliance, which includes wood burners and open fires.

Failure to comply could result in penalties of up to £5,000.

The free alarms are being distributed in different ways by different fire and rescue services. The Department of Communities and Local Government says that even if a landlord or agent cannot get a free alarm, a 10-year sealed alarm costs only around £15. 

Under the new measures, landlords will be under a duty to install and initially test alarms, but it remains the tenant’s responsibility to test them regularly.