Landlord's Corner (Fire Risk Assessment)
The last few years have put a huge focus on fire safety since the tragic events of Grenfell Towers in 2017. Almost every day since then, we have seen article after article about the tragic consequences of a fire happening in a residential property.
Fire Risk Assessments – Protecting you and your tenant
The most recent being the death of four members of a family in East London, which appeared to have started after an electrical appliance caught fire. As a landlord, you have an overall duty of care to the occupiers placed in a private rented home. This extends to a legal requirement to conduct assessments where necessary, provide a written report as due diligence, conduct any actions points within the risk assessment and show evidence they have been completed.
Do we need a Fire Risk Assessment (FRA)?
In short, yes. In terms of the detail and what's required, this will depend on the size of the property, layout, and whether the property is located within a block or classed as a House of Multiple Occupation (HMO). In the majority of cases the FRA will be a simple task, easy to complete, understand and implement. Where there is a perceived higher risk i.e. a house converted into bedsits, then as a landlord, you should seek to obtain the services of someone with the relevant qualifications, or seek advice from the local fire brigade.
In brief, an FRA includes the following steps:
Step One: Identify the Fire Hazards (and keep them apart)
How could a fire start?
Think about heaters, lighting, naked flames, electrical equipment, cigarettes, matches and anything else that gets very hot, or which can cause a spark.
What could burn?
Packaging, rubbish, and furniture could all burn, just like the more obvious fuels such as petrol, paint, varnish, and white spirit. Also, think about wood, paper, plastic, rubber and foam. Do the walls or ceilings have hardboard, chipboard, or polystyrene? Check outside, too.
Step Two: Identify the people at risk
All people are at risk, but if you have more vulnerable occupiers living at the property, what have you done to increase the chance of them escaping in the event of a fire? i.e. provide a special type of alarm for those with hearing problems.
Step Three: Evaluate and Act
Look at what you have found in steps one and two above, and decide what you need to do, to minimise the risk. This may include installing devices to increase awareness to the occupiers in the event of a fire or removing flammable hazards, such as polystyrene tiles.
Step Four: Record, Plan and Educate
Record what actions you have taken to minimise the risk, along with a clear plan about how you will continue to manage that risk. Finally, you need to ensure you have educated the occupiers about what they should do in the event of a fire, and how to comply with any of the outcomes within the FRA.
Step Five: Review
Keep your risk assessment under regular review. Over time, the risks may change. If you identify significant changes in risk, or make any significant changes to your plan, you must inform and educate the occupiers, and record that this has been done.
Summary
The importance of undertaking an FRA for ALL properties you own cannot be underestimated. You have a generic duty of care for all occupiers of a property, and you need to be seen as being compliant with your legal obligation. Get it wrong, and you leave yourself wide open to a claim of negligence.
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