Interlinked Smoke Alarms Wales

In December, new Fire and Smoke Alarm Regulations for Wales are coming into effect. The Renting Homes 'Fitness for Human Habitation Act' Wales applies to all private rented properties in Wales. If you are a private landlord in Wales, it's your responsibility to ensure that your property is fitted with interlinked fire alarms that meet the new standard.

You may not always hear the alarm closest to the fire, especially if you are somewhere else in the house, with an interlinked system if one alarm goes off, they all go off. This page summarises the most important alarm requirements and helps you to calculate what you need to meet the requirements. Please be aware: Only products from the same brand and product range interlink with each other.

By December 2022 every Welsh private rented property will need to have:

• One working Smoke Alarm installed on each storey. All Fire Alarms need to be interconnected. It is at the landlord's discretion if more alarms are desired, they may also want to consider installing a heat alarm in the kitchen.
• Carbon Monoxide Alarms must be installed in all rooms with a fuel burning appliance (excludes gas cookers).

All alarms should be installed to BS 5839-6 and landlords must note the manufacturers replace by date codes on units to ensure all alarms are within date and fully operational.

Smoke alarms must be installed on each level of the home. These must be hard-wired and interlinked. The legislation also requires landlords to ensure that a Carbon Monoxide alarm is present in any room which has a gas, oil or solid fuel burning appliance installed. Carbon Monoxide alarms should be located next to fuel burning appliances including exposed or concealed flues within the property but are not required for cooking devices. These can be mains or battery powered and do not need to interlink.