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
The layout is fixed at a size that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the A4 and Letter files are visually identical and print at full size on either. Rows are set at a height that an adult can actually write a date and a few words into with a pen — most printable tables are built in a word processor and never tested with one.
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.
Guide
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One new sheet, most weeks
We are building this library out steadily. Leave an address and we will send the new sheets as they are finished — nothing else, and no more than one email a week.
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