Are landlords legally obliged to put up a banister ?

pbartlett

tje landlord has a duty to ensure the property is safe.

if you believe it to be unsafe then notify your landlord of any safety issues and if no response contact your local coumcil.

smallangel82

Thanks a lot for your advice all, that is much appreciated.
We are not allowed to make changes to the house ourselves but I have requested quotes from a handful of companies that could potentially do it and then it's down to him. I hope he will take it into consideration because this could have easily gone very wrong and it certainly is a health&safety issue.

Tokmon

smallangel82 said:

Hi, 
I have already done some research on the subject but have not found out whether there is a legal requirement for a landlord to put up a banister and was hoping to get some more advice here. 
I live in a privately rented house with 3 other people and our landlord (5 in total). The house has steep stairs. The stair case is 87cm wide, has 14 steps and a wall on each side. When moving in, I remember to have thought to myself that the steps could potentially cause a hazard because they are so steep and there is no banister to hold onto. Nothing was mentioned at the time and we just carefully use the stairs when going up and down. 
I have now had a fall where I slipped, smacked my head against the wall and hurt my elbow on the sideboard. I went to A&E just to be sure nothing was broken. My elbow is badly bruised and where I couldn't bend it before, I can now do so again but I have a concussion with ongoing headaches, blurry eyesight and dizzy spells. I have made the landlord aware of the issue and asked for him to put up one banister. It wouldn't stop anyone from falling again but it would potentially lessen the impact it might have, should it happen again. I don't want to go against my landlord and take things further but I was wondering if he is legally obliged to provide a banister seeing that the house is being rented out ? When searching for details online, I came across the "Homes fitness for human habitation act 2018" but I'm not sure whether that means he is actually legally obliged to do something about or whether he can still say No and leave it to the tenants to sort out a banister ? Can anyone tell me some more about this ?
Thank you

If there is a wall each side of the staircase then it won't need a bannister because a "bannister" is the support structure used including the top handrail in houses where the stairs are open one side. What you are wanting is a hand rail attached to the wall and not a bannister. If you start saying there is no bannister then people are going to assume one side is open where someone could potentially fall off the stairs and won't automatically think there is no handrail on either side which is the issue you had.

Ditzy_Mitzy

Tokmon said:

smallangel82 said:

Hi, 
I have already done some research on the subject but have not found out whether there is a legal requirement for a landlord to put up a banister and was hoping to get some more advice here. 
I live in a privately rented house with 3 other people and our landlord (5 in total). The house has steep stairs. The stair case is 87cm wide, has 14 steps and a wall on each side. When moving in, I remember to have thought to myself that the steps could potentially cause a hazard because they are so steep and there is no banister to hold onto. Nothing was mentioned at the time and we just carefully use the stairs when going up and down. 
I have now had a fall where I slipped, smacked my head against the wall and hurt my elbow on the sideboard. I went to A&E just to be sure nothing was broken. My elbow is badly bruised and where I couldn't bend it before, I can now do so again but I have a concussion with ongoing headaches, blurry eyesight and dizzy spells. I have made the landlord aware of the issue and asked for him to put up one banister. It wouldn't stop anyone from falling again but it would potentially lessen the impact it might have, should it happen again. I don't want to go against my landlord and take things further but I was wondering if he is legally obliged to provide a banister seeing that the house is being rented out ? When searching for details online, I came across the "Homes fitness for human habitation act 2018" but I'm not sure whether that means he is actually legally obliged to do something about or whether he can still say No and leave it to the tenants to sort out a banister ? Can anyone tell me some more about this ?
Thank you

If there is a wall each side of the staircase then it won't need a bannister because a "bannister" is the support structure used including the top handrail in houses where the stairs are open one side. What you are wanting is a hand rail attached to the wall and not a bannister. If you start saying there is no bannister then people are going to assume one side is open where someone could potentially fall off the stairs and won't automatically think there is no handrail on either side which is the issue you had.

A 'Bannister' is the first man to run a mile in less than four minutes.  A 'banister' is the more common spelling for the thing attached to a staircase.

JGB1955

smallangel82 said:

 I hope he will take it into consideration because this could have easily gone very wrong and it certainly is a health&safety issue.

I have to say, my grandchildren ( 2 & 4 years old) don't seem to have an issue with their steep stairs, with no rail... The newly installed rope rail is far too high to make any difference to them.... it's just us oldies that need reassurance! 

Tokmon

Ditzy_Mitzy said:

Tokmon said:

smallangel82 said:

Hi, 
I have already done some research on the subject but have not found out whether there is a legal requirement for a landlord to put up a banister and was hoping to get some more advice here. 
I live in a privately rented house with 3 other people and our landlord (5 in total). The house has steep stairs. The stair case is 87cm wide, has 14 steps and a wall on each side. When moving in, I remember to have thought to myself that the steps could potentially cause a hazard because they are so steep and there is no banister to hold onto. Nothing was mentioned at the time and we just carefully use the stairs when going up and down. 
I have now had a fall where I slipped, smacked my head against the wall and hurt my elbow on the sideboard. I went to A&E just to be sure nothing was broken. My elbow is badly bruised and where I couldn't bend it before, I can now do so again but I have a concussion with ongoing headaches, blurry eyesight and dizzy spells. I have made the landlord aware of the issue and asked for him to put up one banister. It wouldn't stop anyone from falling again but it would potentially lessen the impact it might have, should it happen again. I don't want to go against my landlord and take things further but I was wondering if he is legally obliged to provide a banister seeing that the house is being rented out ? When searching for details online, I came across the "Homes fitness for human habitation act 2018" but I'm not sure whether that means he is actually legally obliged to do something about or whether he can still say No and leave it to the tenants to sort out a banister ? Can anyone tell me some more about this ?
Thank you

If there is a wall each side of the staircase then it won't need a bannister because a "bannister" is the support structure used including the top handrail in houses where the stairs are open one side. What you are wanting is a hand rail attached to the wall and not a bannister. If you start saying there is no bannister then people are going to assume one side is open where someone could potentially fall off the stairs and won't automatically think there is no handrail on either side which is the issue you had.

A 'Bannister' is the first man to run a mile in less than four minutes.  A 'banister' is the more common spelling for the thing attached to a staircase.

Well it sounds like the OP want's neither a 'Bannister' or a 'banister' installed on their staircase  . I think a handrail is still the best option.  

Edit: Although I've just looked and several dictionary's do accept it as an alternate spelling: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/bannister

pinkshoes

I thought hand rails were to stop parents moaning at kids for putting sticky hands against the wall as they climb up the stairs?!?!?!

You shouldn't need a hand rail to get up the stairs unless you have some sort of mobility issue. If you have a mobility issue then yes, it would be sensible to have a hand rail of some sort. We put one in my gran's house as the steep staircase went up the middle of the house with walls either side, and a she had really bad arthritis, we felt it safer that she used a handrail to pull herself up.

If it is that much of a problem, then perhaps it would be better to live in a house with stairs that are less steep?

Ratkin007

If you are in a HMO then management regulations would apply, hopefully the relevant link is below. Regulation 7, 2b.
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2006/372/regulation/7/made 

deannagone

I do have mobility issues.  I press on the wall as I go downstairs, both sides if necessary (bad day) and manage.  But installing a hand rail yourself is an easy job.  I've done it in other houses.  https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/383578869648?epid=11012041912&_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item594f150f90:g:3AIAAOSwdvlfhdp8&amdata=enc%3AAQAFAAACgBaobrjLl8XobRIiIML1V4Imu%252Fn%252BzU5L90Z278x5ickkxFtV7J5P58ubuVigtBH%252Fe3zmE8Gpy1qFWA7jqhL0plHQwIsn3w5z0p%252Fkzk81oGsApQEWEDuYsXtxjcuiibgrEsfspf50LzOVbJgqfqHLxy9V6jcL2SNmlH8oOcg5KtvQ%252BMWqNltcDjmKWyy%252FOrgQbofSiBbqbSuHKjytEOs6lkEEtcL%252BNGiU%252Fi2ut0w96cDOrPE%252BGZ4fzrv4%252Fgw2MxfLKzRcww3SH9nbqnoWlQvhPDGIQlwLNRPISgtL0FbakIA12eGURh5vnlAATdUyFMjwx60NFbRt2EKh2JUqIc4WMuUjMMdxunbLQMIkNsVYqdXpsqRTHhpAM2iNQQYJ%252FU%252Bu%252FN3E27dZi1V%252FqqKN9EAAAEdn5oDCM9RvHxppyFRMLZFMltVcTNy9G0ENVc4wcNULdg1ol6RQ49JT0tHBQT7tB84qJO8hPZK3pd7IGEh6IFgfaowzWrwuxE6hglz0xBdT5eh2Duyh4PF%252FEPxV0b%252Bnll5GXlGcgj1xwNnc3jA1kHRzmHwM0CGe8DBbPAjQ9W4glc%252FSvK%252F%252FJ0DqvvvclgdG8s00W9wVKomkXvTGEk4bGiPeDzIkdDae4DJR8ohRUp2uFkMG8ai7d4cB4cvvF98q9Q7DLbyFbM63trP5ZAs1K1Z6dS1Fk4zcqmnP0zsQ1e7EIdvq2O9mea7ZOtv2sZRMLGSxbdzQj2INz1Dpnp%252BcHX2iXo65YnkzyQq%252B09qJzAgSodqoa8K%252FP0y0xHYAh3wj6Xyn7NocBjNhCmMa6v4ovbXejc5c3APv1MEYTyTUuXeLuegCJwIQT0PKzn71bSJ5QNc%253D%7Ccksum%3A3835788696487982da686f0f4c00a3bd2887e4bc652a%7Campid%3APL_CLK%7Cclp%3A2334524 Not the cheapest option (cheaper to buy a wooden rail probably) but it does contain everything you need.  A cheap but powerful cordless screw driver is always a handy tool to have.  

General_Grant

Ditzy_Mitzy said:

We're only talking about £100 for a basic rail kit plus an hour or so's DIY fitting.  Is it really worth embroiling yourself in potentially protracted arguments and/or creating ill feeling over?  It's worth it just to get the job done and to give yourself piece of mind.  

peace of mind perhaps