Smoke and CO Alarm Rules for Airbnb Hosts Heading Into Winter
Almost every short-term rental in Canada and the US needs working smoke alarms, and any unit with a furnace, gas stove, fireplace, wood stove or attached garage should have carbon monoxide alarms near the sleeping areas as well. In most places the property owner, not the guest, is responsible for keeping those alarms installed and working. With heating season starting, this is the time of year when a missing or dead CO alarm turns from a paperwork gap into a real risk.
This guide covers where the rules come from, what Airbnb and VRBO show guests, and the quick alarm check that should happen on every turnover.
Where the alarm rules come from
There is no single short-term rental alarm law. The requirements stack up from three places.
Fire and building codes. In Canada, provincial fire codes set the baseline. Ontario's Fire Code, for example, requires a working smoke alarm on every storey of a home and outside each sleeping area, and since 2014 it has required carbon monoxide alarms next to sleeping areas in homes with a fuel-burning appliance, a fireplace or an attached garage. Landlords in Ontario are responsible for installing and maintaining those alarms in units they rent out. Quebec handles smoke alarms largely through municipal bylaws, and newer construction under the Quebec Construction Code requires CO alarms where there is a combustion appliance or an attached garage. British Columbia, Alberta and the Atlantic provinces have their own fire code versions with similar smoke alarm rules.
In the US, most states have adopted laws requiring CO alarms in homes with fuel-burning appliances or attached garages, and many apply those rules specifically to rental dwellings. California, for one, has required CO devices in dwelling units with a fossil fuel source since 2011. Smoke alarm rules come from state law and the local fire code, usually built on NFPA 72.
Short-term rental permits. A growing number of cities that license short-term rentals ask hosts to confirm working smoke and CO alarms when they apply or renew, and some add a fire extinguisher, posted exit information or an inspection. The exact list depends on the city, so the permit application itself is the document to read.
Platform rules. Airbnb asks hosts to say whether the listing has a smoke alarm and a carbon monoxide alarm, and those answers show up in the listing's safety section, including when an alarm is missing. VRBO and Booking.com ask similar questions. A listing that says "no carbon monoxide alarm" in January is not a good look, and an inaccurate answer creates its own problems if something goes wrong.
Why this matters more for rentals than for your own home
In your own home you hear the low-battery chirp at 3am and fix it. In a short-term rental, guests often do the opposite: they pull the battery to stop the chirp, cover an alarm that went off while they cooked, or unplug a plug-in CO unit to free up an outlet for a phone charger. Nobody tells you. The next guest checks in to a unit where the alarm is sitting on the counter.
That is why alarms belong in the turnover routine rather than on a once-a-year to-do list. The person who is physically in the unit between every stay is the only one in a position to notice.
The alarm check that belongs in every turnover
This takes about two minutes per unit and fits into a standard turnover without extending the window.
- Visual check of every alarm. Each smoke and CO alarm is on its mount, not covered, not bagged, not taped over, and the indicator light is on or blinking as normal.
- Look for loose or missing batteries. Battery doors open, empty compartments or an alarm lying in a drawer are the common signs a guest silenced it.
- Plug-in CO units are plugged in. These end up unplugged more often than anything else in the unit.
- Press the test button on a schedule. Most hosts have the cleaner test every alarm once a month (or on the first turnover of the month) rather than on every visit, which keeps the noise down when a neighbour or the next guest might be close by.
- Check the manufacture date. Smoke alarms are generally replaced 10 years after the date printed on the back, and CO alarms typically last 7 to 10 years depending on the model. An alarm past that date gets flagged, even if it still beeps on test.
- Photograph it. A photo of each alarm in place goes into the turnover report. If there is ever a dispute or an incident, a dated photo set shows the alarms were there and working at check-in.
Anything that fails goes to the host the same day, with the photo, so a replacement can be installed before the next arrival. Stayready's damage documentation and photo reporting covers safety devices alongside the usual damage checks.
Winter extras worth adding
Heating season adds a few items to the same walkthrough:
- Fireplace and wood stove. If the unit has one, the CO alarm should be in the same area or near the closest bedroom, and the fireplace instructions guests see should be current.
- Furnace area. Nothing stored against the furnace or water heater, and the vents clear. Turnover cleaners are often the ones who find a stack of extra linens or a suitcase parked there.
- Attached garage. If guests can use the garage, the door into the house should close properly, and a CO alarm should be in the living space beside it.
- Fire extinguisher. Many permits and Airbnb's own safety section mention one. It should be visible, mounted and showing a charged gauge.
None of this replaces a licensed inspection where your city requires one. It simply makes sure that what was true at inspection is still true on guest number 40.
Who is liable if an alarm is missing
The general rule across Canadian provinces and US states is that the owner or landlord must install and maintain required alarms, while occupants must not disable them. For a short-term rental, the host sits in the owner position for every stay, and a guest removing a battery does not usually shift that duty. Insurance policies and platform host protection programs can also look at whether required safety devices were present. The safest position is a written routine that shows alarms are checked between every stay, backed by photos.
If you manage several properties, it helps to keep a simple log per unit: alarm locations, manufacture dates and the date each one was last tested. Hosts with multiple units in Toronto or Montréal often fold this into the same report the cleaning team already sends after each turnover.
Frequently asked questions
Do Airbnb hosts legally need a carbon monoxide alarm?
In most of Canada and the US, yes, if the unit has a fuel-burning appliance, a fireplace or an attached garage, because provincial and state codes require CO alarms in those homes and usually put the duty on the owner. All-electric units with no attached garage may not be covered by the CO rule, but smoke alarms are still required almost everywhere. Check your provincial or state fire code and any short-term rental permit conditions for your city.
How often should smoke alarms be tested in a short-term rental?
Fire services generally recommend testing smoke and CO alarms monthly. For a short-term rental, a quick visual check on every turnover plus a button test on the first turnover of each month is a practical routine. Alarms past their replacement date should be swapped even if they still sound on test.
What should a cleaner do if a guest disabled an alarm?
Reinstall the battery or plug the unit back in if that is all it takes, photograph it, and report it to the host the same day. If the alarm is damaged, missing or expired, the host needs to replace it before the next check-in. The photo also documents the issue if the host decides to raise it with the guest or the platform.
Does Airbnb show guests when a listing has no CO alarm?
Yes. Airbnb's listing page includes a safety and property section, and when a host indicates there is no carbon monoxide alarm or no smoke alarm, that is shown to guests. Keeping the listing accurate and the alarms working protects both the guest and the host.
Add safety checks to your turnovers
Stayready turnovers include a photo report of the finished unit, and alarm checks fit into that same report. Request a quote with your property details and booking volume, and we will send back a written turnover scope that covers cleaning, linens, restocking and the safety walkthrough.