A huge 94% of Britons don’t test their smoke alarms as often as recommended, despite the significant safety risks of neglecting them.
Fire and rescue organisations advise that alarms are checked weekly, but only 6% of residents test them as often as this, according to data from GoCompare.
In the UK, private landlords or their agents are legally required to provide and maintain working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in their rental properties. This includes ensuring alarms are present on each storey of the property where there’s living accommodation and in any room with a fuel-burning appliance (excluding gas cookers).
Agents and landlords must also ensure these alarms are in working order at the start of each new tenancy and repair or replace them when they become faulty.
Specifically there should be at least one smoke alarm must be installed on each storey of the property used for living accommodation. A carbon monoxide alarm is required in any room used for living accommodation that contains a fixed combustion appliance (excluding gas cookers). This includes rooms with wood-burning stoves, coal fires, or boilers.
GoCompare surveyed 2,000 British residents on their smoke alarm maintenance routines. Over half (57%) admitted to testing their alarms once every six months or less, and over a quarter (27%) test their alarms just once a year or less.
Well over one in 10 (13%) stated that they never test their alarms.
Younger generations are the most guilty of neglecting this safety check, based on the study. Just over a fifth (21%) of under-35s stated they never do this – the highest proportion of any age group. Older residents were more prepared, with only one in 10 of those aged over 54 stating they never carry out tests.
The top reason residents fail to check their alarms more often is simply forgetfulness. Of those who said they check their alarms less than once per week, nearly half (48%) stated this as the main reason for not doing so more regularly.
Another common reason for irregular testing was that individuals thought they didn’t need to test their alarm any more than they do already, despite testing less than the recommended frequency. Around a third of residents (30%) admitted this, with a small fraction even suggesting that monthly or yearly testing is often enough.
Others stated that they couldn’t be bothered (6%), didn’t have time (2%) or couldn’t reach the alarm due to it being on a high ceiling (1%).
A GoCompare spokesperson says: “It goes without saying that failing to regularly test a smoke alarm could have catastrophic consequences. As well as being a huge safety risk, your insurer might not pay out if your smoke alarm wasn’t working when a fire occurred, so you’d have to deal with the financial consequences of the blaze yourself – as well as the emotional ones.
“Testing your alarm takes seconds. It might feel like one of the more mundane tasks on your to-do list, but it’s also one of the most important. Consider setting a weekly reminder to test your alarm so you’re less likely to forget. If you have difficulty maintaining your alarms yourself, contact your local fire service for support. If you don’t know how to test it, you will likely find instructions in the manufacturer’s manual.”
