Owners failing to meet safety measures can be banned, prosecuted, and fined a significant amount.
A recent example of a House in Multiple Occupancy prosecution is an House in Multiple Occupancy owner being fined £88,000 for 17 safety offences. These offences included, Escape Routes being obstructed and unprotected and out of date Electrical Installation testing. Offences that could have easily been avoided with good Fire safety management.
Another HMO owner was prosecuted and actually banned from being a private rental landlord, his offences included failing to provide a Fire Detection and Alarm system; failing to fix Fire resistant plasterboard; and failing to replace existing doors with new 30 minute Fire doors.
Both scenarios’ show a total disregard of HMO owners’ obligation towards Fire safety and their responsibility to keep their tenants and premise safe from Fire.
The first ‘Responsibility’ for business owners in Manchester is to ensure there is a ‘suitable and sufficient’ Fire Safety Risk Assessment in place. This should be carried out by a third-party competent person, but how do you find a qualified Fire Risk Assessment provider? Most people will probably search the internet, but there are a couple of key questions that should be asked; Is the Fire Risk Assessor who is going to carry out the inspection qualified to do the job? Is the Assessor or Company fully insured? And what is included in the Fire Safety Risk Assessment? Once you have this information then you can make an informed decision.
A Fire Safety Risk Assessment should have the following ‘parts’ in order to comply with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
- Fire Safety Risk Assessment
- Fire Safety Policy
- Fire Safety Emergency Plan
- Fire Safety Management Action Plan – Significant Findings
You should not pay any extra for any of the above, all the ‘parts’ should be included in the price quoted.
Once you have appointed a competent Fire Safety Risk Assessor and the Risk Assessment has been compiled and delivered, it is then the responsibility of the identified ‘Responsible Person’ to act on the report. It is their responsibility to ensure all the Fire Safety Actions are completed and the Fire Safety Management Action Plan – Significant Findings is kept up to date. This is so it can be witnessed at any time by the Fire Brigade or Insurance Company.
If you have a House in Multiple Occupancy, in Manchester and need a Fire Risk Assessment, look no further than the new ‘Manchester Division’ of London Fire Risk Assessments. This new ‘Manchester Division’ of qualified Risk Assessors has been set up in response to clients requiring continuity in Fire Risk Assessments for their premises in both London and Manchester. So, if you want to appoint an experienced, independent Fire Risk Assessment provider give their support team a call. They will be happy to talk through your requirements and provide you unbiased advice and a free quotation. Call now on 07824 185293 or click here.