April 2023
Question:
Can I use a battery operated Fire Alarms in my rental property?
Fire Alarm
Response:
Frighteningly, in as little as 3 minutes a person can die of smoke inhalation. Landlords please be aware of your responsibilities in relation to fire safety and to ensure that your properties are fully compliant with the fire safety standards and regulations applicable to rental properties.
Fire alarms should be either mains-wired with a battery back-up or be 10-year self-contained battery operated.
With regards to fire safety, landlords must ensure:
- There is a suitable self-contained fire detection and alarm system in each house.
- There is a suitably located fire blanket.
- That each self-contained house in a multi-unit building shall contain a suitable fire detection and alarm system and an emergency evacuation plan. A multi unit building is a building that contains two or more houses that share common access.
- That there is a suitable fire detection and alarm system provided in common areas within a multi-unit building.
- Emergency lighting is provided in all common areas within a multi-unit building.
- Fire detection and alarm systems and emergency lighting systems required shall be maintained in accordance with current standards (i.e. standards produced by the National Standards Authority of Ireland for Fire Detection and Fire Alarm Systems in Buildings and for Emergency Lighting)
The below Regulations/Guidance Documents are useful for further information.
- Fire Services Acts 1981 & 2003
–Fire safety in Flats.
–See “A guide to Fire Safety in Flats, Bed sitters and Apartments”.
- Building Control Act 1990 & 2007
–Building Regulations.
–Technical Guidance Document B ( Fire Safety).
- Housing Acts 1966 & 2009, 2017
–Housing (Standards For Rented Houses) Regulations 2008.
–Housing (Standards For Rented Houses) Amendment Regulations 2009.
–Housing (Standards For Rented Houses) Regulations 2017
–Guidelines for Housing Authorities in the implementation of Minimum Standards in Rented Accommodation