Fire Safety For Landlords

By: Jill | Posted: 22nd May 2007

The Buy to Let market continues to generate a great deal of interest from investors in the UK. Being a landlord can be for many a full time business proposition but there are attendant responsibilities that go with the role. It is essential for a landlord to maintain the property in good tenantable condition and to pay special attention to the safety issues surrounding its occupancy.

HMO Properties

The 2004 Housing Act clearly sets out the landlord’s responsibilities in maintaining a property to address fire risks to occupants. Specifically, there must be an adequate means of escape in place, and depending on the size of the property, smoke alarms and fire extinguishing equipment will need to be installed.

If the property is an HMO (Housing with Multiple Occupation: 3 storey and above and 5 or more people not living as a single household), landlords are required to comply with specific conditions with respect to fire safety.

Statutory Requirements

It is mandatory for landlords to ensure the following:

Safety Measures

Fire safety measures pertain to the installation of fire detection and alarm systems, emergency lighting, and providing a suitable means of escape.

Fire Alarms and Emergency Lighting

Once installed, these must also be properly maintained. Fire detectors that are not regularly cleaned may fail at the crucial moment, or loose connections may result in false alarms which can be disconcerting to the residents and create a 'cry wolf' issue if the worst happens and there is a real fire. Maintaining the battery backup system is also vital to ensure that it swings into action when the mains power fails.

Fire Doors and Frames

Fire doors serve to protect the escape route out of the building and form a crucial element of fire safety measures. If a fire door is not of the required quality standards, fire can spread easily to the common areas and become an obstacle to tenants trying to escape.

Fire Escape Routes

Other than the fire doors, walls and partitions also serve to prevent the spread of a fire. Damaged or incorrectly specified walls and partitions can result in a fire spreading into the escape route, which may become blocked by smoke and cause panic among those trying to escape. It is essential that the exit route is kept clear and free from obstruction (and that this is regularly checked) to allow residents to escape to safety, should the situation arise.

Fire Fighting Equipment

Fire extinguishers must be checked to make sure they are in working order. For instance, they may have been discharged or suffered a loss of pressure. So it is important that all fire extinguishers and blankets are installed and maintained in accordance with the manufacturer's specifications. They must be serviced annually in accordance with BS 5306 by a competent person, such as a firm registered with BAFE (British Approvals for Fire Equipment).

Fire Retardants

Fire retardants are used to delay or retard the onset of combustion of flammable material. Although water immediately comes to mind, this is entirely unsuitable for electrical fires where the power source is still live and for certain types of kitchen fires such as a burning deep fat fryer where the use of water will simply spread the problem. Chemical retardants are thus often used, and the combustible gases that issue during a fire are rendered non-flammable by dilution with harmless carbon dioxide and water vapour released in the reaction. The role of fire retardants in preventing and retarding the spread of fire, is critical.

Conclusion

There are both statutory and moral obligations upon landlords in maintaining a property in safe and habitable condition. The law provides for certain mandatory safeguards to be put in place and enforcement agencies make sure these are adhered to. Fire safety covers a range of areas from detection and early warning, through to escape route planning, fire fighting and suppression equipment and the maintenance thereof. When considering prevention, it is also important to ensure that gas and electirical safety standards are adhered to for all appliances and that a no smoking policy is in force: cigarettes remain a major cause of domestic fires.


Jill Remus is a freelance writer in consumer, financial and business areas.

You can find impartial advice and further information on choosing buy to let mortgages at www.1000mortgages.co.uk - where whole of market mortgage brokers do the searching for you.
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Tags: business proposition, full time business, fire alarms, smoke alarms, loose connections, emergency lighting, being a landlord, false alarms, crucial moment, fire detection, gas appliances