Landlord common areas fire responsibilities

TroubledTarts

I was under the impression that landlords did not have to fit fire alarms to common areas but have received conflicting information so welcome thoughts on this.

Woodstok2000

Are you in England? Or elsewhere in the UK? When you say common areas, do you mean within a dwelling (e.g. a living room) or in areas common between flats (like the entrance hall or stairway of a block)?

TroubledTarts

England

5 flats sharing hallways and two stairways over 3 floors.

eddddy

TroubledTarts said

I was under the impression that landlords did not have to fit fire alarms to common areas but have received conflicting information so welcome thoughts on this.

What's behand your question?

For example, is your landlord / freeholder / Management Company saying that a fire alarm system is required?

If so, as a starting point ask the landlord / freeholder / Management Company why they are saying it's required. For example,

• Is it because a Fire Risk Assessment was done by a professional assessor, who recommended that a fire alarm system is required?

• Is it because the fire brigade have done an inspection that identified a severe life-safety risk - and unless a fire alarm system is fitted, the fire brigade will force an evacuation of the building?

Or some other reason?

TroubledTarts

This was a request of a tenant, they fear for their safety as the common areas mentioned do not have fire alarms.

As a landlord the FRA has been completed but as is the case sometimes you have to revisit the question of "has anything changed in the law" is this now required by law.

A quick search suggested not but there are sometimes very knowledgeable people here.

Heedtheadvice

https://www.nrla.org.uk/resources/looking-after-your-property/fire-safety-communal-parts

poseidon1

The following extract would seem definitive on the question

''There’s no requirement to install a communal fire alarm system in a purpose-built block of flats. The person responsible for a building’s fire safety will decide whether fire alarms in communal areas are needed to keep residents safe'

Taken from:

https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-10750/

sherlock228

purpose built flats over 3 storeys or a converted 3 storey building?

Note the previous link relates to purpose built because implicit to that is the fact that fire "compartmentation" would have been designed into the whole building. Underpinning that is (sadly for Grenfell) the "stay put" approach, hence no requirement for alarms in communal access routes

TroubledTarts

Converted 3 storey ground, first and second

poseidon1

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82040344#Comment_82040344

Re requirement for fire alarms in a converted property, seems the key question is whether it is a pre 1991 conversion per link below-

https://www.fmcfire.co.uk/fire-regulations-converted-flats/

MyRealNameToo

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82039042#Comment_82039042

Are you the freeholder of the complete building? Are you just a leaseholder of a single unit? Is it counted as a HMO?

If you just have the lease of one flat which you are renting out then your responsiblities almost certainly end at the door to the flat. You wouldnt have a right to put a smoke detector in the hall even if you wanted.

If you are the freeholder then you are the Responsible Person and would be the one to organise risk assessment and implement any recommendations.

If it's a HMO then its likely matters go further. The date of conversion may impact if it's a HMO or not.