London Fire Brigade is urging private landlords in the borough to apply for free smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms so they are ready for new life-saving legislation set to come into force later this year.
From October all private landlords must fit smoke alarms on each floor of their rental properties and install carbon monoxide alarms in rooms containing solid fuel burners - such as cookers and heaters - or face being slapped with a £5,000 fine.
The give-away comes as Brigade figures show that in Hackney over the last five years, when there has been a fire in a home, a smoke alarm was only working 40 per cent of the time.
London Fire Brigade’s borough commander for Hackney, Steve Dudeney, said: “The private rented sector provides homes for some of Hackney’s most vulnerable groups and there is no doubt that these regulations will make privately rented accommodation in our borough safer and save lives.
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