The short answer – No.
Many homes will already have one hardwired smoke alarm in the hallway. This was required in legislation a few years ago and so is especially common in rented properties and new-builds. If this is the only alarm in your home, your system will need to be upgraded. It is also likely that the alarm does not comply with regulations requiring all alarms to have sealed 10-year lithium batteries.
You have two options in this case, you can either upgrade your hardwired alarm and add a radio frequency module for £50. This will allow it to be interlinked with any other alarm we install. The other option is to replace it with a battery-powered (standalone) alarm while you upgrade your system to make your home compliant.
Many people are being told by local authorities, councils or other electrical firms that only hardwired alarms comply with the upcoming regulations: This is not the case. The new regulations are more concerned with the batteries in the alarms. As long as the alarms are interlinked and have sealed, 10-year lithium batteries, they comply.
The cheaper option is to replace your hardwired alarm with a battery-powered alarm when getting your home system upgraded to meet standards. Keeping a hardwired alarm is a more expensive installation, and the radio frequency module that is needed to link it with battery alarms also increases the cost.