Tenant Safety Reporting: How Landlords Should Check, Record and Act

Safety in a rented home isn't only about the annual certificates. It's the alarms on the ceiling, the fire blanket in the kitchen, the water system, and what you do when a tenant tells you something isn't working. This guide covers the safety items to check and, just as important, how to keep a record that shows you acted.

For the certificate side (gas, EICR, EPC), see our compliance dashboard guide.

Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms

In England, the gov.uk smoke and carbon monoxide alarm guidance for landlords says landlords must:

• Fit at least one smoke alarm on each storey used wholly or partly as living accommodation
• Fit a carbon monoxide alarm in any room used as living accommodation with a fixed combustion appliance (excluding gas cookers)
• Check alarms are in working order on the first day of each new tenancy
• Repair or replace an alarm once told it is faulty

What to record: each alarm's location and type, the date it was checked at the start of the tenancy, and any report of a fault with the date it was fixed.

Fire safety items

Not every property needs extinguishers or blankets, but if you supply them, maintain them and log their condition. The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) includes fire as one of the hazards councils assess (gov.uk HHSRS guidance).

At each inspection, check:

• Fire blanket present and accessible
• Extinguisher present, undamaged, in date if marked
• Escape routes clear (hallways, stairs, doors not blocked)
• Fire doors closing properly, where fitted

Houses in multiple occupation have extra duties. See our HMO inspections guide.

Legionella

The HSE's guidance for landlords says landlords have a legal duty to make sure tenants aren't exposed to health and safety risks, including legionella. Key points from HSE:

• Most landlords can assess the risk themselves and don't need to be professionally trained or accredited
• A simple assessment may show there are no real risks, in which case no further action is needed
• Testing or sampling for legionella "is not usually required for domestic hot and cold water systems"
• The law doesn't set a fixed review interval, but you should review the assessment periodically and whenever something changes

A simple assessment typically looks at hot water temperature, cold water storage, little-used outlets and showers. What to record: the date, what you checked, the risk rating and any actions taken.

Logging issues tenants report

This is where many landlords fall down. A tenant mentions a beeping alarm on the phone, it gets fixed, and there's no record. If a dispute arises later, you can't show what happened.

A simple safety log for each property:

Good habits:

1. Ask tenants to report safety issues in writing, by email or message, so there's a timestamp.
2. Acknowledge quickly, in writing.
3. Record what you did and when, with a photo if possible.
4. Close the loop: tell the tenant it's fixed.

Safety checks during inspections

Use every interim inspection as a safety check. Our room-by-room inspection checklist covers the full walk-round. For safety specifically:

• Test every smoke and CO alarm and note the result
• Look for signs of damp and mould
• Check for damaged sockets, switches or exposed wiring (visual only; testing is for an electrician)
• Check radiators, boiler area and flues for obvious damage
• Note any tenant-added hazards (overloaded extension leads, blocked vents)

Putting it in one record

The goal is that for any property, on any date, you can show what safety items are there, when they were last checked, and how any problem was dealt with.

Disclosure: we make Landlord HQ for iPhone. Get Landlord HQ on the App Store. It includes:

• Safety item tracking: log smoke alarms, CO alarms, fire extinguishers and fire blankets, and mark each as working or flag an issue
• A built-in, guided legionella risk assessment covering hot water, cold water, outlets and showers, with a risk rating and an action log
• Room-by-room inspections with timestamped PDF reports you can email to the tenant
• A compliance vault for Gas Safety, EICR, EPC, HMO Licence and PAT records, with reminders 60 and 30 days before expiry

FAQ

Do landlords have to test smoke alarms?
In England, landlords must check alarms are working on the first day of each new tenancy and repair or replace them once told they're faulty. Many landlords also test at every inspection.

Do I need a professional legionella test?
HSE says testing is not usually required for domestic hot and cold water systems, and most landlords can do the risk assessment themselves.

How often should I review my legionella risk assessment?
The law doesn't set a fixed interval. HSE advises reviewing it periodically and when anything changes.

How should tenants report safety problems?
In writing, by email or message, so both sides have a dated record.

Sources

• https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/smoke-and-carbon-monoxide-alarms-explanatory-booklet-for-landlords
• https://www.hse.gov.uk/legionnaires/legionella-landlords-responsibilities.htm
• https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/housing-health-and-safety-rating-system-guidance-for-landlords-and-property-related-professionals