Smoke detectors a must

Only the communists abstained from the vote, deeming the text put forward to have been “insufficient”.

Householders have until 2015 to comply with the new law which requires occupants, be they landlords, owners or tenants, to ensure smoke alarms are fitted. According to the Housing Minister, Benoist Apparu, every year insurance companies receive claims relating to over 250,000 fires in the home, and that around 800 people die as a result of smoke inhalation or severe burns.