Policy Connect

With public scrutiny on the building regulations review following the Grenfell Tower tragedy, the All-Party Parliamentary Carbon Monoxide Group (APPCOG) is calling for government to protect renters from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning by requiring landlords to fit alarms by law on Tuesday 7th November, 4pm, with Minister for Housing & Planning Alok Sharma.

The All-Party Group’s report argues that the tragic fire at Grenfell Tower reinforces the need for a fundamental health and safety review, and that requiring landlords to fit CO alarms will protect the most vulnerable in our society – the fuel poor, low-income households, the elderly and children.

The new report puts pressure on government to protect renters with carbon monoxide alarms in post-Grenfell building regulations review

The APPG also points out that CO alarms are far more affordable than when the rules were reviewed in 2015, and that regulations could be simplified to make landlord responsibilities far clearer.

Figures show that:

• 2.7 million renters are at risk from dangerous gas appliances (Gas Safety Trust)
• Private registered provider rentals and private rentals are on the rise: at 2.43 million and 4.85 million respectively
• In its 2017 White Paper, Fixing our broken housing market, Government has promised to improve safeguards in the private rented sector
• Dr Andy Shaw’s research, of Liverpool John Moores University, has identified that deprived areas were less likely to own an audible CO alarm than homes in non-deprived areas
• Research by Energy UK has found that less than half (46%) of university students who rent have a carbon monoxide (CO) alarm