More than 80% of carbon monoxide (CO) exposures reported to Technical Safety BC have happened in a home. If you’re a tenant or landlord, it's important to know who is responsible for maintaining gas systems and appliances and who should be the one to install a CO alarms.
Carbon monoxide is an odourless, tasteless, invisible gas that is produced by fuel-burning appliances.
CO poisoning is the most common unintentional poisoning in Canada. CO interferes with the body’s ability to absorb oxygen, which can lead to serious illness, severe side effects, or death.
Gas Appliances
If you are a landlord, you should inform your tenant if your property has gas appliances. Do not assume that everyone will be familiar with gas appliances or how they function.
If you are a tenant and you are unsure if you have gas appliances, ask your landlord. You can also check outside your home for a gas meter, or use one of our other recommended ways to check if gas appliances are present in your home.
CO Alarms
Because carbon monoxide cannot be seen and has no scent, there’s only one way to know if it is present at dangerous levels in your home: a CO alarm. However, CO alarms are currently only required in new constructions (except in Vancouver, which has its own requirements).
If you are renting and your property does not have a CO alarm, discuss the topic with your landlord. There are also battery-operated and plug-in varieties available that do not require installation. We strongly recommend that all tenants with gas appliances have a CO alarm on every floor.
Checking Your CO Alarm
Tenants should test alarms regularly and should never disable the CO alarm or remove batteries. If the alarm is provided by the landlord but seems to be malfunctioning or is past its expiration date, be sure to inform them.
Maintaining Gas Appliances
Because of the risk of carbon monoxide exposure from gas-fired appliances, it is very important that landlords have gas appliances or equipment serviced as recommended in the manufacturer’s instructions or, at a minimum, annually by a licensed gas contractor. In fact, Section 55 of the Gas Safety Regulation requires owners of rental premises to ensure all gas appliances are maintained in a safe condition by a licensed gas contractor and retain all gas appliance maintenance and service records.
While communicating and educating about CO prevention is an excellent first step, it’s important to be aware of your legal requirements and how to protect yourself if you are exposed to CO. For landlords, you should know if you have gas appliances in your home, confirm that gas appliances are inspected regularly, and make sure you have a working CO alarm.