London landlord fined £160,000 for not complying with fire safety regulations

A landlord has been fined £160,000 and ordered to pay £40,000 prosecution costs for breaking fire safety laws following a fatal fire at his property in Hounslow.

Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire and Safety) Order 2005, he was found guilty of four offences and was sentenced on May 1st.

The property was a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO), with 10 people living in the property. Four fire engines were called and 20 fire fighters tackled the blaze and most of the residents managed to escape. One resident was found in the heavily smoke logged kitchen and was taken to hospital where he died shortly afterwards.

The London fire brigade found a number of fire safety breaches including:

• It wasn’t possible for people to evacuate the premises safely and quickly
• No smoke or fire detectors
• No fire fighting equipment
• No proper fire risk assessment was in place for the property

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 states that employers of those who have control over premises, are required to carry out a fire risk assessment and act on the findings. The risk assessment should identify actions that need to be taken to protect the building from fire. It also must be kept under constant review and amended if any changes are made to the premises.

Following an inspection of the neighbouring house, also owned by the same landlord and used as an HMO, the landlord was issued with a prohibition notice by the Fire Brigade. This was to prevent the use of the premises as residential accommodation until it had been fitted with suitable fire separation, adequate fire detection and emergency lighting.

Neil Orbell, London Fire Brigade’s Assistant Commissioner said “The sentence handed down to Mrs Rana is a stark reminder to landlords that the court’s take fire safety as seriously as we do and that the penalties for ignoring it are severe.”

Source: http://www.london-fire.gov.uk/news/LatestNewsReleases_01051530.asp#.VUuCx-E724w