Fire safety is a serious business, whether you are a home-owner or a landlord, but if you are a landlord, you cannot afford to ignore your responsibilities or people could die. Sadly there are fires in rented homes every year, some of which cause fatalities. Worryingly many of these are in
******Whoops! Looks like this is an old post that isn’t relevant any more :/ ******
******Visit the blog home page for the most up to date news. ******
communal areas within flats and shared houses and the Fire Brigade is warning landlords to ensure communal areas such as stairwells, corridors and hallways are kept clear of rubbish and clutter.
London Fire Brigade Appeal
According to London Fire Brigade statistics, they attended 514 fires in communal areas between 2013 and 2014. The previous year the figure was only 449, so the number of fires has risen by 14 per cent. Their latest appeal, ‘Know The Plan’, is designed to draw attention to the dangers of cluttering up communal areas and increase fire safety awareness amongst landlords and tenants in shared housing.
The fire brigade says that bikes, pushchairs, buggies and mattresses are often left in communal areas. In the event of a fire, these large items can block fire escape routes and hinder the attempts of firefighters trying to do their job.
Keep Communal Areas Clear
“It is the responsibility of landlords to keep communal areas clear and ensure their property has a suitable fire safety plan,” says Steve Turek, assistant commissioner from the London Fire Brigade.
“Residents can help by not storing bikes, buggies and other items in communal areas because these can cause fires that can spread quickly.”