Adhering to current fire safety legislation is essential for landlords. No landlord wants to find themselves responsible for the death of one of their tenants if a fire breaks out and the tenant is unable to escape the smoke and flames because the building breaches fire regulations.
Sadly many landlords continue to put profit above the wellbeing of their tenants and despite warnings, they ignore fire safety law. Landlords operating HMOs are often the worst offenders because they can make more money from hapless tenants when conversions are done on the cheap.
One such landlord has recently been ordered to pay a massive £40k in fines and court costs and handed a suspended jail sentence for flouting fire safety regulations in a property he had converted for student lets. If he can’t or won’t pay, he will end up serving a minimum of 6 months in jail.
The building was converted into a HMO, but although the architect warned the developer he was in breach of fire safety legislation, he ignored the advice. He also ignored a ban on letting the rooms out following a fire safety inspection by local fire officers.
The judge overseeing the case took the matter very seriously and told the landlord developer he had put profits above the safety of the students living in the accommodation: “You knowingly allowed occupation when fire safety standards were inadequate and that it was financially motivated,” he said.
The local Fire and Rescue Service also took a dim view of the offence: “The sentences reflect the seriousness with which such a flagrant breach of fire safety legislation is viewed.”
