Landlord Maintenance Records: What to Keep
Why response time is the figure that decides most tenancy disputes, how to keep evidence that holds up, and why every requirement here has to be checked locally.
Guide
Safety checks · SC-01
Smoke and CO Alarm Test Log
A free printable smoke and carbon monoxide alarm test log — an alarm register plus a monthly test grid, including each unit's replace-by date.
Download Free · no sign-up
2 pages. Choose your paper size — both versions are laid out identically, so neither one gets shrunk to fit.
Print it and write on it
Fill it in type and save
The fillable versions have real form fields — open them in any PDF reader, type into them and save. Printing help.
What this sheet is for
Prove the alarms were tested, and catch the thing most people miss: alarms have an expiry date, and a working test button does not mean a working sensor.
Who it is for
Every household. Essential for landlords, holiday lets and anyone responsible for a property they do not live in.
How to use it
- Fill in the register once — one line per alarm, with its location and type.
- Take each alarm down and write its replace-by date from the back of the unit.
- Test monthly and tick each alarm that sounded.
- Replace the whole unit when it reaches its end-of-life date.
What is on the sheet
2 pages, in this order:
Page 1
Printed under the title: A test record for every smoke and carbon monoxide alarm in the building — where each one is, when it was tested, and when the unit itself expires.
Alarms expire. Alarms have an end-of-life date, usually printed on the back, and a working test button does not mean a working sensor. Write the replace-by date in the register below the first time you take each one down.
Write-on lines: Property · Year
Alarm register — one line per alarm — fill in once
Table, 8 rows: No. · Location · Type · Power · Installed · Replace by
Monthly test record — tick each alarm that sounded
Table, 4 rows: Month · 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · Tested by · Notes
Page 2
Ruled lines: Notes and anything specific to yours
Questions
Do smoke alarms really expire?
Yes. The sensing element degrades, and manufacturers print an end-of-life or replace-by or end-of-life date on the unit, and that date is the one to go by. The test button checks the sounder and battery, not the sensor.
Where should alarms be?
Placement requirements differ by country and by property type, and for let property they are often a legal minimum rather than a suggestion. Check the rules that apply to your property and record what you have in the register.
Read next
Testing Smoke Alarms Properly
The test button does not test the sensor. What it actually checks, why alarms have an expiry date, and how to keep a register that tells you which one you tested.
Guide
What Your Insurer Asks For After a Leak or a Fire
Home insurance claims turn on evidence of maintenance and evidence of loss. What that means in practice, and what to record before anything happens.
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Also in the resources library
The same subject, with a version you can fill in on screen.
Fire Safety Inspection Checklist
Whether the alarms actually sound, and when they were last tested.
SF-96 Checklist PDF Online
Landlord Annual Compliance Planner
What was last done, and when, for every recurring check.
RL-70 Planner PDF Excel Online
Shared House Inspection Checklist
Which rooms were entered, which were not, and why access was not gained.
IC-110 Checklist PDF Excel Online
