An estimated £16.7 million in UK home insurance claims could be rendered invalid due to missing or non-functioning smoke alarms, new analysis suggests.
Using data from the Home Office, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, and StatsWales for the year ending March 2024, insurance comparison platform Go.Compare estimated there were around 13,458 dwelling fires attended by fire and rescue services in which a smoke alarm was either absent or failed to operate.
By applying average claim payout figures to incidents at insured homes without working alarms, the analysis concluded that many policyholders were at risk of losing their entitlement to a payout if a fire occurred.
According to the findings, around 1% of residents, or equivalent to about 514,000 people, said they had no smoke detector installed. Across Britain, 43% of all dwelling fires in the year to March 2024 involved homes where a smoke alarm either did not work or was not present.
The absence or failure of smoke alarms was also linked to higher fatality rates. Over half (52%) of deaths from dwelling fires occurred in incidents without a working smoke alarm, the data showed.
The research further indicated a lack of awareness about the insurance implications. Sixty-two per cent of residents surveyed did not know that failing to check their alarms regularly could have led to an invalid claim.
“Your insurer likely wouldn’t have paid out if your smoke alarm wasn’t working when a fire occurred,” said Nathan Blackler, home insurance expert at Go.Compare. “Testing your alarm takes just seconds, but not doing so could have meant covering the costs of damage yourself.”
The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) recommended testing alarms weekly, replacing batteries where applicable, and following the manufacturer’s instructions. It also offered a free Online Home Fire Safety Check tool to help residents assess risks.
The potential scale of invalid claims also highlights an underwriting concern for the insurance sector. Fire-related claims often carry high average payouts, and non-compliance with safety requirements such as working smoke alarms could increase disputes, lengthen settlement times, and raise administrative costs. Insurers also face the reputational risk of declining high-profile claims, particularly in cases involving vulnerable policyholders.
Some insurers are reported to be reviewing policy wording to make safety obligations more explicit, while others are exploring technology such as smart detectors to reduce the likelihood of disputes and mitigate losses.
The NFCC added that maintaining working smoke alarms should be “as routine as cleaning” and urged households to set reminders to carry out regular checks.
