--- title: "Carbon Monoxide in Rentals: What Every Landlord and Tenant Needs to Know" description: Learn who’s responsible for gas appliance maintenance and CO alarms in rental properties. Stay safe from carbon monoxide with key tips for tenants and landlords. image: https://blog.technicalsafetybc.ca/hubfs/Carbon_Monoxide_alarm_home-medium.jpg --- [Skip to content](https://blog.technicalsafetybc.ca/carbon-monoxide-in-rentals#main-content) [![Technical Safety BC colour logo with gear](https://blog.technicalsafetybc.ca/hs-fs/hubfs/TSBC_Stacked_RGB%20300%20dpi%20-%20transparent%20background-1.png?width=600&height=179&name=TSBC_Stacked_RGB%20300%20dpi%20-%20transparent%20background-1.png "Technical Safety BC colour logo with gear")](https://www.technicalsafetybc.ca/) [Visit main site](https://www.technicalsafetybc.ca/) [Contact us](https://www.technicalsafetybc.ca/contact/contact-us) [Back to blog](https://blog.technicalsafetybc.ca/) # Carbon Monoxide in Rentals: What Every Landlord and Tenant Needs to Know October 14, 2025 4 Minute read ![Carbon monoxide alarm in home](https://blog.technicalsafetybc.ca/hubfs/Carbon_Monoxide_alarm_home-medium.jpg) 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.  ##### **What is Carbon Monoxide?**  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.  ##### **Preventing CO Poisoning: Landlord and Tenant Responsibilities**  ***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](https://vancouver.ca/files/cov/carbon-monoxide-alarm-requirements-important-notice.pdf)).  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 equip themselves with CO alarms. ***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](https://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/15_103_2004#section55) 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.  ##### **Safety as a Shared Responsibility**  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.  [**Learn more about CO**](https://www.technicalsafetybc.ca/public-safety/carbon-monoxide-safety)**.**  Share this article: [![Share on Facebook](https://blog.technicalsafetybc.ca/hubfs/raw_assets/public/technical-safety-bc/images/facebook-blue.svg)](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.technicalsafetybc.ca%2Fcarbon-monoxide-in-rentals%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook) [![Share on LinkedIn](https://blog.technicalsafetybc.ca/hubfs/raw_assets/public/technical-safety-bc/images/linkedin-blue.svg)](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.technicalsafetybc.ca%2Fcarbon-monoxide-in-rentals%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dlinkedin) [![Share on Twitter](https://blog.technicalsafetybc.ca/hubfs/raw_assets/public/technical-safety-bc/images/twitter-blue.svg)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.technicalsafetybc.ca%2Fcarbon-monoxide-in-rentals%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.technicalsafetybc.ca%2Fcarbon-monoxide-in-rentals%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&source=tweetbutton&text=Carbon%20Monoxide%20in%20Rentals%3A%20What%20Every%20Landlord%20and%20Tenant%20Needs%20to%20Know) [![Share on Email](https://blog.technicalsafetybc.ca/hubfs/raw_assets/public/technical-safety-bc/images/email-blue.svg)](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fblog.technicalsafetybc.ca%2Fcarbon-monoxide-in-rentals%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail%20&body=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fblog.technicalsafetybc.ca%2Fcarbon-monoxide-in-rentals%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail) ## Subscribe for safety updates and insights ## Browse topics - [Homeowner](https://blog.technicalsafetybc.ca/tag/homeowner) - [Gas](https://blog.technicalsafetybc.ca/tag/gas) - [Contractor](https://blog.technicalsafetybc.ca/tag/contractor) - [Electrical](https://blog.technicalsafetybc.ca/tag/electrical) - [Asset Owner](https://blog.technicalsafetybc.ca/tag/asset-owner) - [Ask A Safety Officer](https://blog.technicalsafetybc.ca/tag/ask-a-safety-officer) - [Homeowner Safety](https://blog.technicalsafetybc.ca/tag/homeowner-safety) - [Passenger Ropeways](https://blog.technicalsafetybc.ca/tag/passenger-ropeways) - [Boiler, PV and Refrigeration](https://blog.technicalsafetybc.ca/tag/boiler-pv-and-refrigeration) - [Carbon Monoxide](https://blog.technicalsafetybc.ca/tag/carbon-monoxide) - [Public Safety](https://blog.technicalsafetybc.ca/tag/public-safety) - [Amusement Devices](https://blog.technicalsafetybc.ca/tag/amusement-devices) - [Elevating Devices](https://blog.technicalsafetybc.ca/tag/elevating-devices) - [Railways](https://blog.technicalsafetybc.ca/tag/railways) - [Alternative Safety Approaches](https://blog.technicalsafetybc.ca/tag/alternative-safety-approaches) - [CO Alarm](https://blog.technicalsafetybc.ca/tag/co-alarm) - [Client Support](https://blog.technicalsafetybc.ca/tag/client-support) - [Smarter Safety](https://blog.technicalsafetybc.ca/tag/smarter-safety) - [FSR](https://blog.technicalsafetybc.ca/tag/fsr) - [Camping](https://blog.technicalsafetybc.ca/tag/camping) - [Chairlift](https://blog.technicalsafetybc.ca/tag/chairlift) - [Corporate news](https://blog.technicalsafetybc.ca/tag/corporate-news) - [RV safety](https://blog.technicalsafetybc.ca/tag/rv-safety) - [Skiing](https://blog.technicalsafetybc.ca/tag/skiing) - [Travel](https://blog.technicalsafetybc.ca/tag/travel) - [Vacation](https://blog.technicalsafetybc.ca/tag/vacation) - [extreme heat](https://blog.technicalsafetybc.ca/tag/extreme-heat) - [snowboarding](https://blog.technicalsafetybc.ca/tag/snowboarding) ## Related articles ![Coal miner holding a canary in a small cage outside of the coal mines](https://blog.technicalsafetybc.ca/hs-fs/hubfs/Canary_coal_mine.jpg?width=352&name=Canary_coal_mine.jpg) ### From Canaries in Coal Mines to Modern CO Alarms: A Brief History of Carbon Monoxide Detection October 23, 2024 2 Minute read From canaries in coal mines to modern CO alarms, learn about the evolution of carbon monoxide detection and essential tips to protect your home from this silent, deadly gas. 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