"On top of the huge safety risk, your insurer likely won’t pay out if your smoke alarm wasn’t working when a fire occurred, so you’d suffer the financial consequences of the blaze - as well as the emotional ones"
- Nathan Blackler - Go Compare
An estimated £16.7 million in home insurance claims may have been lost in a single year due to failures involving smoke alarms, according to research from Go.Compare. The figures point to widespread non-compliance with basic safety checks that could leave thousands of policyholders without insurance support following a fire.
The analysis found there were approximately 13,458 dwelling fires across Britain during the 2023/24 financial year where a smoke alarm was either not installed or failed to operate. Based on the number of insured households, Go.Compare estimates that around 10,124 of those fires occurred in insured homes, potentially leading to invalidated claims.
Policyholders may find their claims denied if they do not maintain working smoke detectors or falsely state that one is present. In such cases, homeowners and tenants may be left to fund repairs themselves—creating a financial burden alongside the emotional toll of a house fire.
Despite the potential for claims to be rejected, awareness of this insurance clause appears to be low. A survey commissioned by Go.Compare found that 62% of UK adults did not realise their insurer could decline a claim if a smoke alarm was not regularly tested.
Nathan Blackler, home insurance expert at Go.Compare, said: “It goes without saying that failing to install and regularly test a smoke alarm could have catastrophic consequences. But on top of the huge safety risk, your insurer likely won’t pay out if your smoke alarm wasn’t working when a fire occurred, so you’d suffer the financial consequences of the blaze - as well as the emotional ones.”
He continued, “It might feel like one of the more mundane tasks on your to-do list, but it’s also one of the most important. Testing your alarm takes just seconds. Consider setting a weekly reminder so that you’re less likely to forget. If you have difficulty maintaining your alarms yourself, you can contact your local fire service for support. If you don’t know how to test it, you will likely find instructions in the manufacturer’s manual.”
In the same survey, just 6% of respondents said they check their smoke alarm weekly or more often, as recommended by multiple UK fire and rescue services. Additionally, 1% of UK adults reported having no smoke alarm at all, which equates to more than half a million people living without the most basic form of residential fire protection.
Fire service data highlights the risks associated with a lack of functioning alarms. In the year ending March 2024, 43% of all dwelling fires occurred in homes without a working smoke alarm. These incidents also accounted for over half (52%) of all fatalities resulting from residential fires.
Go.Compare calculated the potential £16.7 million in invalidated claims by applying survey data to Financial Conduct Authority figures and statistics from British fire and rescue services. The final figure is based on average claim payouts and the estimated number of affected fires involving insured properties.
The findings underline the dual risk of neglecting smoke alarm maintenance: the loss of life and the possibility of being left without insurance support. Go.Compare is urging homeowners and tenants to act promptly to ensure that alarms are installed, working, and regularly tested.
