As a landlord, I take my responsibilities very seriously, which means I always provide suitable fire protection and a safe means of escape should a fire break out. I certainly do not want to put my tenants’ lives in danger for the sake of saving money!
Fire safety is always important in any rental property or privately owned house, but Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) are frequently at the lower end of the rental market, and therefore not always as well managed. Sadly, some landlords of Houses in Multiple Occupation do not always take their responsibilities seriously and are more concerned about making money.
To illustrate this, a news report I read this morning described how two landlords were fined £22,000 after disregarding an emergency safety order that had been slapped on a HMO by environmental safety officers.
When a fire broke out in the house in the early hours of one morning last December, the young man in the attic room (a room previously prohibited from being used as sleeping accommodation) was forced to jump out of the window to escape almost certain death. Thankfully the tenant survived the fire, although his expensive guitars and record collection were not quite so lucky. But although this story had a happy ending, it could quite easily have been a tragic one.
It might seem like an expense you can do without, but legislation regarding fire safety is designed to protect everyone, including you, so never be tempted to take shortcuts as your tenants might end up paying the ultimate price for your cost-cutting endeavour.
