bannisters on landings....

clb776

hi all,

does anyone know what the regualtions are for gaps in bannisters on landings, and if these apply to rented accommodation on an older house?

Doozergirl

Current regulations state that you should not be able to pass a sphere of 100mm through any part of between stairs/bannisters/spindles.

But regulations certainly have changed dramatically over time and nobody has to fix their house to meet new regulations if they were acceptable when they were put in.

Landlords do have a duty of care to tenants. If it's a particularly bad risk then you could speak to environmental health who might be able to enforce, but as a tenant I'd expect to be served notice before a landlord decided they wanted to replace the bannisters for you.

[Deleted User]

I have a rented house that had very unsafe stairways. Initially it had no spindles at all or hand rail.., the previous owners had removed half the staircase so they could get furniture down the stairs apparently. Then it was 'repaired' like a 70's style stair way, with two rough planks of wood connecting the top and bottom newel posts. Ideal climbing frame for a toddler to injure himself falling off! Big gaps, very flimsy.

But I was told quite clearly that the regulations only applied to new builds, not 30 year old houses. As has been said before, the LL's responsibility is only that they were safe at the time the property was built.

For £100 I put in pine handrails, base rails, spindles and filler things ordered online. The stair way is now safe. But it was necessary to do it myself.

clb776

its not on the staircase its at the top of the stairs in the hallway, on the landing. you know where its kind of squared of with wood over the gap where the stairs are so you can walk around it!? (sorry, not very technical!)

instead of spindles going up, it has sort of a plank of wood about 5 inches wide going through the middle with an 18 inch gap either side (top and bottom!)

Doozergirl

What I said. Same applies.

[Deleted User]

Yep, if u are not happy with it LL doesn't have responsiblity to change it. U will have to. Or just prop something against it.

diable

I always thought if you can't ram a small child's head through the gap then its ok.

Doozergirl

diable wrote: »

I always thought if you can't ram a small child's head through the gap then its ok.

Three generations of our family got their heads stuck in the gaps between my grandparents' stairs as children. 1950/60s house over four floors, gaps between each tread up from the lounge. You'd think a kid would learn but I can still remember the burning sensation on my ears as I'd have to be prised out. Again. I must have only stopped when my head really did get too big

My cousin broke his leg very badly aged 2, falling from the top landing straight down two flights. There was just nothing at all between the handrail and the landing. Being 2, there would have been nothing to stop him flying off at all as he would have been smaller than the handrail.

slummymummyof3

You could always use some plywood or similar to cover the area - check your landlord is happy for you to do this before you nail it to the bannisters otherwise you could be charged on leaving the property. You could always ask the landlord or his agent to do it on your behalf??? That way if any damage occurs during fixing, you are not responsible!

chris_m

slummymummyof3 wrote: »

You could always use some plywood or similar to cover the area - check your landlord is happy for you to do this before you nail it to the bannisters otherwise you could be charged on leaving the property. You could always ask the landlord or his agent to do it on your behalf??? That way if any damage occurs during fixing, you are not responsible!

Alternatively, two sheets of thin ply - one on each face, both screwed to battens that lie between the existing posts/rails. That way nothing is actually fixed to the exisiting structure so there will be no damage left when you remove it.

princeofpounds

Building regs only apply to new construction.

However, the LL does have a duty of care. If there was to be an injury that was no fault of the injured party (eg normal slip and go through the bannisters, or child properly supervised but just slips through) there might be a case for compensation although that's little consolation if it happens. But you should write to the LL and ask for it to be fixed.

It might also fall under the housing health and safety rating system (HHSRS) enforced by your council's environmental health. Ring them or visit their website for more info.