TradedocSmoke & CO alarm test log
A blank installation and test log you can print and fill by hand. Or the faster option — log every alarm test on tenancy start on the phone, signed inventory copy in the tenant's inbox before they take the keys. Tracks the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022, Reg 4.
No card required. Cancel anytime.
What it is
An installation and test log for smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in rented property in England. Records every alarm — type, location, install date, batteries (or hard-wired), tenancy-start test date, faults reported and remediated. Required to evidence compliance with the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015 as amended by the 2022 Amendment Regulations — and to defeat any local-authority remedial notice.
UK legal requirement
Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015, as amended by the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022. Smoke alarm on every storey of the property. Carbon monoxide alarm in every room with a fixed combustion appliance (excluding gas cookers). Test on the day a new tenancy starts. Repair or replace any alarm reported faulty by the tenant 'as soon as reasonably practicable'. Civil penalty for non-compliance up to £5,000 per breach under a remedial notice.
Compliance status
This template tracks Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022, Reg 4. Our compliance radar crawls the publishing bodies every six hours — see the standards we build to today or the radar of what's coming next.
Engineer remains responsible for verifying compliance with the version applicable to their work. TradeDoc is a tool, not a regulator.
Who needs it
- ·Every private landlord with one or more rental properties in England
- ·Letting agents managing tenanted property — duty applies to whoever lets the property
- ·Build-to-rent and student-let operators
- ·Council and registered-provider lettings within the AST regime
What goes on it
Every mandatory field, in the order the inspector or auditor will check them.
Property identifier
Property address, tenancy reference if used, landlord/agent name, current tenant name and tenancy start date.
Smoke alarm — every storey
For each storey: location of alarm, type (mains-wired with battery backup, ten-year sealed battery, replaceable battery), make/model, install date, last test date.
Carbon monoxide alarm — every fixed-combustion room
For each room with a fixed combustion appliance (gas boiler, solid-fuel stove, open fire — gas cookers excluded): location, make/model, install date, expiry date (CO alarms have a fixed sensor life, typically 7-10 years from manufacture).
Day-one test
Tenancy-start test date, alarms tested by, result for each alarm (pass/fail), any alarm replaced or repaired before the tenant moved in. Tenant signature confirming alarms were tested and operational at move-in.
Tenant-reported faults
Date the tenant reported a fault, alarm location, fault description, remediation date, replacement detail. Reasonable practicability is the statutory standard — log the time taken and the reason for any delay.
Annual landlord verification (best practice)
Not strictly statutory after the day-one test, but a periodic landlord check (with the gas safety inspection or on routine inspection) is the practical defence against later disputes. Each check date and outcome.
Replacement cycle
Sealed-battery and CO alarms have a fixed working life — 10 years for sealed-battery smoke alarms, 7-10 years for CO alarms depending on manufacturer. Track the next replacement date for each unit.
Common mistakes on a hand-filled one
The small things that get picked up on audit, insurance review, or when the next engineer reads it.
- ✗Skipping the day-one test on grounds that the alarm 'was tested last month' — the 2022 Amendment requires a test on the day each new tenancy starts, no exception
- ✗Carbon monoxide alarm only in rooms with a gas boiler — CO duty extends to every room with a fixed combustion appliance, including solid-fuel stoves and open fires
- ✗Using a kitchen smoke alarm without heat-alarm differentiation — kitchen alarms must be appropriate to the environment (heat alarm or specialised smoke alarm), not a basic ionisation smoke alarm liable to nuisance trips
- ✗Treating tenant-reported faults as 'their problem to test' — when reported, the duty is on the landlord to repair or replace 'as soon as reasonably practicable', regardless of whether the alarm was working at move-in
- ✗Forgetting CO alarms expire — sensor life is 7-10 years from manufacture, not from install date; using an alarm past expiry is a fail on test
- ✗No tenant signature on the day-one test — without the signature it is the landlord's word against the tenant's; the inventory route gives a co-signed evidence document
The faster option
Fill one on your phone in 2 minutes
Pick the template. Answer the fields. Customer signs from their inbox. PDF saved in the vault with a unique number. Free forever on your first 100 docs a month. Pro £15/month adds custom branding and one-tap customer email. No card at sign-up.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a CO alarm if there's no gas boiler?+
Yes if there is any fixed combustion appliance — solid-fuel stove, open fire, oil boiler, range cooker. Gas cookers are explicitly excluded. The 2022 Amendment widened the duty from 'rooms with solid fuel' to 'rooms with any fixed combustion appliance'.
When does the duty to test apply?+
On the day a new tenancy starts. The 2022 Amendment makes the day-one test a statutory step. Mid-tenancy testing is the tenant's responsibility (encouraged monthly), but the day-one duty is the landlord's.
What if a tenant reports a faulty alarm?+
Repair or replace as soon as reasonably practicable. The 2022 Amendment introduced this explicit duty — the alarm must be brought back to working order. Log the report, the action taken, and the date of resolution. Inaction triggers local-authority enforcement.
What's the penalty for non-compliance?+
Local authority can serve a remedial notice. Failure to comply with the notice attracts a civil penalty up to £5,000 per breach. Repeat breaches attract higher penalties. The remedial notice itself does not require a court process — the local authority can issue and enforce.
How often do alarms need to be replaced?+
Smoke alarms: ten-year sealed-battery models reach end of life at the manufactured date plus ten years (printed on the unit). Mains-wired alarms typically last ten to twelve years. CO alarms: seven to ten years sensor life from manufacture, replace at expiry. Track the date — a beeping alarm in year ten is end-of-life, not low battery.
Does the duty apply in HMOs?+
Yes, plus stricter HMO-specific duties under the Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (England) Regulations 2006 and any HMO licence conditions. The 2022 Amendment is the floor; HMOs typically have additional fire-detection requirements set by the licensing authority.