Smoke & CO alarm testing and fitting
There is a difference between an alarm that sounds and an alarm that detects
A press-button test tells you the battery and the sounder work. It tells you nothing about whether the sensor still detects smoke. We test with a smoke and CO test canister, which does.
The problem
The button test is not the test
Every alarm has a test button, and pressing it confirms exactly two things: the unit has power, and the horn works. The sensing chamber isn’t tested at all.
Sensors degrade. They fill with dust, they age out, and both ionisation and optical chambers lose sensitivity over roughly a decade — which is why alarms carry an expiry date. A ten-year-old alarm can pass its button test every time and still fail to detect a fire.
That gap is the whole point of the service. Somebody sleeps in that property.
What’s included
What’s in the service
- Canister testing — every smoke alarm tested with smoke, every CO alarm tested with CO. The sensor is proven, not assumed.
- In-date check — manufacture and expiry dates recorded for every unit
- Coverage check — alarms assessed against the current requirements for the property’s layout and appliances
- Photographic record — every alarm photographed in situ, with its date and test result
- Fitting and replacement — supply and fit alarms where they are missing, out of date or wrongly positioned, including replacing the alarm heads on mains-powered (hard-wired) systems. New wiring or system installation is a job for an electrician
- A dated written record for the compliance file
- 1Smoke & CO alarms
What’s already included in an inventory
Every PSH inventory and mid-term inspection includes locating each alarm, checking it’s in date, and a press-button test, photographed. That’s a functional check and it’s standard, at no extra cost.
This service is the full test — the one that proves the sensor still works. Most clients use it at the start of a tenancy and annually thereafter.
How it’s delivered
How you get it
Within 24–48 hours through the portal, with the photographic record attached.
- Canister-tested on siteevery smoke and CO alarm
- Report within 24–48 hourswith the photographic record attached
- Start of tenancy, then annuallyhow most clients use it
Coverage
Where we cover
Chichester, Portsmouth and across Sussex and Hampshire as standard, with wider coverage across the South East of England and the Isle of Wight through our network.
Book alarm testing
Tell us the property and the date, and we’ll confirm availability and price.
Related services
Usually bought as part of a Compliance Pack
Landlord Compliance Packs
Bundled with a Legionella risk assessment, an HHSRS assessment, PAT testing and an EPC in one booking.