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Is a Fire Risk Assessment Required?
SeniorFronted
Posts: 2 Newbie
Hi everyone,
I'm an FTB currently buying a flat and very close to completion. The property is a first floor maisonette with one property below and none above. It has its own external front door. The loft space can only be accessed through my flat but is not part of the lease - it belongs to the freeholder (who is the occupant of the ground floor flat).
My solicitor requested that the seller carry out a Fire Risk Assessment. They went ahead with it although the agent couldn't see a reason for it as there are no communal areas. I asked my solicitor why it was needed and he said it was because there is in fact, a communal area. It turns out the only communal area in the building is the loft as it belongs to the freeholder but can only be accessed via my flat.
The FRA came back noting that the front door does is not up to the FD30s Fire Door standard. My solicitor has asked the seller to either replace the door or provide an allowance. The seller is refusing to do either and is questioning why the FRA was deemed necessary in the first place and why the front door would need to be replaced if it leads directly to the street and not a communal hallway.
To be honest, I have sympathy with the seller's complaint. I suspect my solicitor just asked for an FRA and for the door to be replaced simply because the property has a communal area and didn't realise that it was the loft and not a hallway.
I would like to know if an FRA was really needed on this property. And if so, would the front door really need to be FD30s if it's an external door. I'd be happy to let the issue slide as long as it doesn't come up again in the future when I eventually sell. I have tried asking my solicitor to clarify this but his answer seems evasive, I suspect he's avoiding admitting that it wasn't necessary.
I'd be hugely appreciative if anyone has knowledge of this type of scenario.
Thank you very much
I'm an FTB currently buying a flat and very close to completion. The property is a first floor maisonette with one property below and none above. It has its own external front door. The loft space can only be accessed through my flat but is not part of the lease - it belongs to the freeholder (who is the occupant of the ground floor flat).
My solicitor requested that the seller carry out a Fire Risk Assessment. They went ahead with it although the agent couldn't see a reason for it as there are no communal areas. I asked my solicitor why it was needed and he said it was because there is in fact, a communal area. It turns out the only communal area in the building is the loft as it belongs to the freeholder but can only be accessed via my flat.
The FRA came back noting that the front door does is not up to the FD30s Fire Door standard. My solicitor has asked the seller to either replace the door or provide an allowance. The seller is refusing to do either and is questioning why the FRA was deemed necessary in the first place and why the front door would need to be replaced if it leads directly to the street and not a communal hallway.
To be honest, I have sympathy with the seller's complaint. I suspect my solicitor just asked for an FRA and for the door to be replaced simply because the property has a communal area and didn't realise that it was the loft and not a hallway.
I would like to know if an FRA was really needed on this property. And if so, would the front door really need to be FD30s if it's an external door. I'd be happy to let the issue slide as long as it doesn't come up again in the future when I eventually sell. I have tried asking my solicitor to clarify this but his answer seems evasive, I suspect he's avoiding admitting that it wasn't necessary.
I'd be hugely appreciative if anyone has knowledge of this type of scenario.
Thank you very much
0
Comments
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I doubt there is any need - as far as I know, it's a standard relevant for doors leading onto communal indoor spaces.0
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