Fire escape in a massionette

elff

We have been lucky enough to be offered a council massionette after many many years on the waiting list, its a 3 bed 'house' above another 3 bed house in a block of 20 homes if that makes sense...

We are at the far end of the block at the top... 6 homes down from the main stairwell, at the moment the property has a fire escape door/stairs down to a little garden bit from the kitchen, but this is very old.

I have been told that the council will either put in a new fire escape or more likley remove the stairs from the outside of the building and block up the door (and 'give' the garden space to the downstairs home as it backs onto their garden)

We have 3 young children, does anyone have any experiance of fire regulations/escape routes from the 3rd floor? i have to wait to find out what is going to happen as no one seems to be able to tell me anything and we have had to 'accept' the property or risk being removed from the list without this questioned being answered.

Is it worth me contacting the local fire station when we move in and see what they suguest? the twins are too small to use a window ladder safley on their own i think.

Or am i just over thinking this and should just be bloody gratefull we will finally have a home after being shipped around for the last few months

MX5huggy

Take the home. Plenty of people live higher than that with only one escape route.

I am not clear is your dwelling over just 1 floor?

Get the fire service to offer advice.

Owain_Moneysaver

A window ladder isn't a valid means of escape anyway. In many cases you would be safer to 'stay put'.

Accept the house, then argue about it once you've got the tenancy.