The Government has opened a consultation on mandatory installation of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in England. While the consultation, which closes on 11 January 2021, primarily focuses on social housing it also covers aspects of the private rented sector and is an opportunity to make the case for reform of existing regulations, where they could be improved. This consultation follows on from the government’s social housing green paper which was published in August 2018, the social housing white paper that was published in November 2020 and the government review of carbon monoxide alarm requirements that concluded in January 2019. This consultation is launched alongside the social housing white paper and forms part of a wider package of measures designed to ensure that people are safe, and feel safe, now and in the future. It seeks to bring greater parity between the rental sectors in respect of safety.  The proposal is to amend several pieces of existing legislation so that carbon monoxide alarms are mandatory in all private and owner-occupied homes in any room with a fixed combustion appliance, for example a boiler, cooker or water heater. Gas cookers are excluded from this requirement. The regulations apply to all properties, including houses, flats, and HMOs (houses in multiple occupations). The property owner must ensure that smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are installed. In rented properties, the landlord guarantees these sensors are installed and working correctly at the start of a tenancy. Tenants are then responsible for testing the detectors regularly and reporting any faults to the landlord. The property owner or landlord can be fined if a property does not have smoke and carbon monoxide detectors installed. In addition to this, failure to comply with the regulations can also lead to legal repercussions. Therefore, ensuring that smoke alarm installation is attended to before occupying a home is crucial. Propertymark will be responding to the consultation process and we are encouraging members to respond individually as well as feeding into our collective response through your regional representative, whose details can be found on the website. The consultation proposes that: