Wednesday, 14 March 2012

Private landlords should be aware of their fire safety obligations

As The Department of Communities and Local Government teams up with Aico to deliver a Fire Kills campaign to private landlords, Belvoir Sheffield, the leading letting agent in Sheffield, is warning that many landlords may be unaware of what is expected of them legally.

Under The Fire and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 and the Fire and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) (Amendment) Regulations 1993, as a landlord you have a Duty of Care to your tenant in respect of any furniture you leave in the property. Smoke alarms should also be fitted at the property.

It is frightening that as the number of DIY and reluctant landlords

According to Government fire statistics, 36 percent of battery powered alarms fail to operate in a fire – almost half because the battery was missing or dead. Installing mains powered alarms, interconnected together so they can be heard throughout the property, negates this problem and allows landlords to meet their Duty of Care.

The Fire and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 and the Fire and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) (Amendment) Regulations 1993, are UK law and are designed to ensure that upholstery components and composites used for furniture supplied in the UK meet specified ignition resistance levels and are suitably labeled. There are six main elements contained within the Regulations, which landlords must adhere to.

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