Do landlords need to carry out fire risk assessments?
Landlords have certain legal obligations when it comes to fire safety and looking after the people who reside in their properties. The requirements differ depending on the type of property you own.
Current legislation states that landlords must carry out a fire risk assessment in all areas of their properties. The purpose is simple – to identify any fire hazards, determine who is at risk and decide what needs to be done to remove or reduce that risk.
Flat owners within premises where there is no landlord eg. 6 flats and a common area, lease or freehold, become ‘responsible persons’ and also need to ensure legislative requirements are met and maintained.
The Housing Act 2004 covers premises in mixed use where people are unrelated, live independently from one another and share common areas of the same building.
The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015 applies to inside any such dwelling (from 1 October 2015, private sector landlords will be required to have at least one smoke alarm installed on every storey of their properties and a carbon monoxide alarm in any room which contains a solid fuel burning appliance) (for example, coal fire, wood burning stove) – they must also make sure the alarms are in good working order on any change of tenancy.
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 is the legislation for the common areas of any such properties.
The LACORS (Local Authorities Coordinators of Regulatory Services) guide provides guidance on the need for a fire risk assessment and provides information about what a property requires to comply with fire safety legislation.
At the very least, as a landlord, you must ensure you have an adequate means of escape route from your properties in case of fire and appropriate smoke detection. It is down to the ‘responsible person’ to ensure this is in place and so if you are the owner, manager, agent or even own a flat you must find out who that responsible person is as it may be you.
Every property you rent out must have a fire risk assessment. Fire risk assessments should be completed by a competent person with sufficient knowledge, experience and qualifications. To summarise, a fire risk assessment should identify any fire hazards, identify any persons at risk, evaluate, remove, remove or protect from risk, record, plan, inform, instruct and train and finally review the assessment on at least an annual basis or if there have been any significant changes.
To find out more about our residential fire risk assessments please see
http://www.whalefire.co.uk/residential-fire-risk-assessments.aspx
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Richard Whale
Director
Fire risk assessments - how often?
We recommend you review your fire risk assessment at least every 12 months to ensure your compliance with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 or sooner if:
· There have been any significant materials alterations to your premises
· There has been a change in the use of your premises
· There has been an increase in the number of people who occupy the premises
· You are applying for a new license or;
· Anything else that could impact upon the fire safety within the building that would benefit from a review of your fire risk assessment
It is important to ensure your fire risk assessment is carried out by a ‘competent person’. For more information about our latest fire risk assessment offer please see
http://www.whalefire.co.uk/fire-risk-assessments.aspx
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Richard Whale
Director
IFEDA Membership
Whale Fire is delighted to announce we have been approved and accepted as a member of IFEDA (Independent Fire Engineering and Distributors). You can find us by clicking on the link below.
http://ifeda.org/user/whale-fire-limited/
We have also opened a new office in Crawley, West Sussex and can also be contacted at the following address:
Whale Fire Limited
Basepoint Business Centre
Metcalf Way
Crawley
West Sussex
RH11 7XX
Tel: 01293 972018
Stay safe
Richard
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Richard Whale
Director
Whale Fire Ltd
Tel: 020 7127 6843
Mob: 07590 762397
info@whalefire.co.uk
www.whalefire.co.uk
Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans
Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs) are designed for individuals within your workplace with mobility issues or those people who could be vulnerable in an emergency situation. If you have any disabled workers, you may need to provide a PEEP to ensure they can safely evacuate the building.
There are a whole range of methods employed to produce a PEEP. The method employed depends on a number of factors including the nature of the disability, the place of work and the number of fire exits etc. This should be identified within a comprehensive fire risk assessment.
To find out more about PEEPs or fire risk assessments, please email info@whalefire.co.uk or please call us on 0800 772 0738
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
On 1 October 2006, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 came into force across England and Wales, replacing over 118 old fire safety laws. This places an emphasis on the responsible person to appoint a competent person and carry out a fire risk assessment for their premises. The link below takes you straight to this piece of legislation.
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2005/1541/contents/made
Here at Whale Fire, we work in compliance with The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 at all times to ensure you are on the right side of the law.
Whale Fire sets standards for qualified assessors
It is essential that your fire risk assessment is completed by a qualified competent person. Here at Whale Fire, Director Richard Whale sets the standards high. He has recently upgraded his accreditations and now has a place on the Warrington Certified list of assessors (FRACS) – a link to which can be found below:
https://www.warringtoncertification.com/fracs/individual-register.html#FRA43
He can also be found on the NAFRAR list (The Nationally Accredited Fire Risk Assessors Register):
http://www.ifsm.org.uk/fra-registers/assessors
This risk register has been introduced by the Institute to ensure that those assessors who are eligible to register must have been through a process that proves their achievement at the highest standards and levels of competency for fire risk assessors that is available. This means that their experience and competency has been successfully examined and tested by an independent third party accreditation / certification scheme.
Why Whale Fire sets the standards
As Director of Whale Fire, it is my job to ensure the safety of the people I serve and the business they work for. That’s why you have full peace of mind knowing that all of our fire risk assessors and engineers are fully qualified.
The benefits of using Whale Fire
Peace of mind from knowing your service has been completed by a qualified and competent individual
Money back satisfaction guarantee
Fire Brigade Compliance Guarantee
Reputable Company
For more press information or interviews please contact
Richard Whale
t. 0800 772 0738
m. 07590 762397
info@whalefire.co.uk
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