Tenant removing fire labels!!!

Mrs_pbradley936

This is the second time this has happened to me!!

I own and let a furnished flat via an agent which happens to have a rather nice navy blue leather sofa and chair. It has been there for about 4 years and a couple of tenancy changes.

A couple of weeks ago the tenants move out and a would be couple go and view. They love the place, sign the papers, pay the deposit and are all set to move in. Then the agents go and inspect whatever it is they inspect and find that the fire labels on the sofa and chair are not in place and email me saying they have to come out of the flat - it's they law. To cut a long story short they are removed and replaced by not so nice furniture which does have the required labels.

Next episode in the saga is that the couple move in are horrified that the super duper leather sofa and matching chair are gone and a shabby old cloth one has replaced it. They are not happy. They think they have been scammed. The nice blue leather sofa and chair are sitting in my garage, the tenants want it but the agent says they cannot have it.

Any thoughts?

RetroBob

Why not offer to "sell" them to them for a nominal fee £1 provided they sell them back for the same price when they leave?

theartfullodger

Err,,, then there would be an agreement by LL for Tenant to have furniture that does not comply with Fire regs (yes I know it's daft...) in the property.

Wouldn't look good in court after the two small kids who were visiting die of smoke inhalation & the papers get hold of it.

Not worth the risk, IMHO..

Lodger

roses

Did the furniture have the fire labels on in the first place? Your post is not clear.

doorlock79

Mrs_pbradley936

roses wrote: »

Did the furniture have the fire labels on in the first place? Your post is not clear.

Oh yes of course. There were there in the previous tenancy change overs. The last tenants pulled them off and it wasn't until the inspection/inventory for the new tenants that the agent discovered they were missing.

Voyager2002

I don't think you can sell furniture without fire labels, even for a nominal pound. However, you owe your tenants and explanation and might happen to mention that the stuff is in your garage, which is not locked...

jayII

Isn't it possible to put new ones on, using your reciepts as evidence? Having to remove nice furniture because of someone's thoughtlessness seems crazy!

theartfullodger

Yeah - if you know where/what you bought in the first place can you get documents confirming that the furniture is compliant??

Here...
http://www.firesafe.org.uk/html/Legislation/furnregs.htm
it just says of the furniture "They must carry a display label at the point of sale " - not sure if the furniture HAS to have the label on it later... (contrary to my earlier post, apologies..)

Good luck!

Lodger

Mrs_pbradley936

theartfullodger wrote: »

Yeah - if you know where/what you bought in the first place can you get documents confirming that the furniture is compliant??

Here...
http://www.firesafe.org.uk/html/Legislation/furnregs.htm
it just says of the furniture "They must carry a display label at the point of sale " - not sure if the furniture HAS to have the label on it later... (contrary to my earlier post, apologies..)

Good luck!

Lodger

Thanks for that. Estate agents and letting agents come under the "Providers" section. That must be what they mean when they say the furniture cannot stay because they will be committing an offence. If you remove your own labels that's fine but if you are in receipt of rent then the labels have to be there and thanks to you I have read it for myself.

However that brings up the question of whether I would be entitled to reattach labels. For example if there is a label on my own settee could I take it off of that and put it on the one in the garage?

neas

This seems daft in every property i've rented... nobody has cared if the sette had a fire label on it!....

Policy gone mad that is. Are you sure its regulation they need it on? cause that means tons of people need to change sofas in rented accomodations i;ve been in!