All You Need To Know About Smoke Alarms If You Are a Landlord

Today, we’re talking about the importance of smoke alarms, and we’re doing this because it’s so important. Smoke alarms can kill and each year at least 500 people lose their live in a house fire. What’s so frightening about this is that most people are asleep when this happens. Most house fires occur in the middle of the night, when people are at their most vulnerable and asleep. Because they’re asleep they are slower to react to smoke or unusual sounds, and this is why it’s so important to have a smoke alarm.

Smoke alarms should be installed inside every room in your home, so you’re likely to hear it before things get too serious. Having a functioning smoke alarm can mean the difference between getting out alive.

Check Your Alarms Regularly

Once you’ve had a smoke alarm/s fitted, you should check on them regularly. It’s important to make sure they’re working and that they’re well maintained. It’s simple to do and won’t take long. Firstly, test them by pressing the test button, you should be able to spot any problems right away. Replace your batteries annually and change the whole alarm once every decade. Try to make sure you vacuum the detector for dust every 6 months with an extension, this will help to keep it in working order.

Make Sure Your Smoke Alarms Work

Of those homes that suffer a house fire, and have been attended by the fire brigade, a large majority of them had smoke alarms which weren’t in working order. This sadly results in a high number of fatalities. Smoke alarms don’t need to be expensive, but they can save lives, and once you’ve installed them, you’ll be giving yourself the peace of mind knowing that should a fire start in your home, you have a fighting chance of getting out in time.

There’s a wide range of smoke alarms out there to choose from such as ionisation smoke alarms which are sensitive to small particles of smoke, and will go off as soon as they detect a small amount. Optical alarms are good for fires which start with little to no smoke, so it’s entirely up to you which ones you have.

Are you a landlord?

You should have smoke alarms on every floor and especially if you are a landlord. If you do own a rented property, you’ll find it’s a legal requirement to have them installed and they must all be in good working order.

RML - For The Best Electricians in West Lothian

As professional electricians in Edinburgh we understand the importance of smoke alarms, and we’ve fitted many of them over the years. Smoke alarms save lives, so please have at least one installed in your home. If you have any questions about what we’ve discussed today, get in touch. If you’re in need of a new smoke alarm and you’d like to invest in a new one, or perhaps the one you have isn’t working properly, we’re here to help.