A residential landlord has been sent to prison in the first custodial sentence to be given in London under the new fire safety regulations.

Mehmat Parlak was sentenced to four months imprisonment and his company, Watchacre properties limited, was fined £21,000 following conviction for serious breaches of the Regulatory Reform (fire safety) Order, which came into force in October 2006.        

 

It is a fact that many multi-occupied residential properties represent a  significant threat, in terms of fire safety and many landlords and property  managers are unsure about their responsibilities under the legislation. It is essential that a proper system of risk management is introduced and assessments only carried out by 'Competent Persons',as defined by law.

                                                

The above passage details one of a number of recent landlord prosecutions for breaches of fire safety legislation in relation to residential premises. The introduction of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, which came into force in October 2006, requires the "responsible person" to assess the fire risk within such premises and to carry out remedial works in order to ensure that the fire risk is reduced to as low as is "reasonably practicable" The responsible person in these circumstances is generally the Landlord or his/her appointed agent.

Fire statistics for the United Kingdom, published by the department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) show that in 2006 there were 363 deaths from fire, in dwellings, of which 111 were within multiple occupancy buildings. In addition to this there were a total of 11,200 non-fatal injuries recorded.   

 

 

 

Anolex Ltd

The requirements in relation to fire safety, determined by a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment, can be extremely confusing to anyone unfamiliar with the principles of fire safety. When fire risk assessments are carried out by non fire professionals the tendency is often to recommend over provision of fire safety measures leading to, what is often, very considerable and totally unnecessary expense.

At  Anolex Ltd  we have put together a team of fire safety professionals with vast experience in residential fire risk assessment. We have contracts with some of the largest residential management companies in the country and pride ourselves on our professional, sensible approach to managing fire risk. Our principle aim is always to provide the most cost effective and reasonable means of achieving a suitable level of fire safety provision in order to ensure legal compliance for our clients.                                                                                                                                         

If you would like further information please contact us by email or call us to speak to one of our fire safety experts