Tenent, is it law to have a handrail?

beggy13

Hi
I'm new to this but i'm hoping someone out there can help.
I'm currently renting a house, the stairs don't have a handrail and i just wondered if this was legal?? In the last week i have fallen down the stairs with my baby daughter in my arms because i could'nt grab hold of anything but wall. This may sound stupid but i've fallen down the stairs 3 times in the last few months and it's getting a bit boring!!! Thanks in advance for any light that can be shed on this.
nikki

moneysavinmonkey

I can't think why it would be law for there to be a handrail as it is fairly common not to have one- presumably when you viewed the property prior to deciding to rent it there wasn't one.

Speak to your landlord asap and ask if they will install a handrail for your. If they won't then then just let them know you will install one yourself. Your + baby safety comes first - argue the legals of it later.

mlz1413

There are legal requirements for a house to have handrail but it depends on the age of the house as to if it applies to your home.

BUT your LL has a duty of care to you, they rented the house to you and I assume they knew you had a baby. So contact your LL asap and ask if they will fit one asap.

TJ27

If you phone the council private sector housing people, they should be able to come out and rate it under the Housing Health and safety Rating System, or HHSRS. If they consider it to be dangerous then they can tell your landlord to fit a rail. But I think I would probably agree that's it's wise to just ask your landord before going to the council.

GoodRiddance

If the landlard says no then you can prove he does need to install one.

See the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 and Building Regulations 2000 Part M: Access to and Use of Buildings, Revised 2004.

clutton_2

your landlord definitely has a duty of care under various Health and Safety legislation - just send him a short friendly note today - asking him to install a handrail as soon as possible as you have fallen several times already and you dont want to further hurt your self or your child. - i am actually gob-smacked that ANY landlord can rent a house out without a handrail ..... madness...........

tbs624

Think possibly what you're looking for can be found in Document * K* of the Building Regs "Protection from Falling, Collision and Impact" which says that, in "dwellings", stairs less than 1m wide should have a handrail on one side, if the staircase is wider there should be one on either side. The HR should be affixed at a height between 900 and 1000mm measured from the floor or pitchline to the top of the rail. Side guarding is required for flights of stairs and landings where there is a drop of more than 600mm in houses. The guarding should not be of a type that can be climbed by children under 5 and a 100mm sphere must not be able to pass through any opening (ie the size of a small child's head)

It is of course possible that different Building Regs (or none on this topic) applied at the time the property was built/staircase installed but a LL does owe you a duty of care, as others have pointed out. Even if there was no legal requirement I think it would be a prudent move for any LL to address the issue, particularly as you say you have already slipped.

I would write formally requesting that he installs a handrail (hand deliver or send via Rec Del) - IMO his insurers would take a very dim view if you had an accident which resulted in a claim against the LL and it could be shown that he had failed to comply with such a request, so do keep a copy.

DGJsaver

Threads like this one should be made a sticky and put at the top of the page , specifcally for people who come on and post a topic saying " I want to be a landlord , is it easy ?"

clutton_2

is it easy ? yes and no - l love what i do - but at times it is very tiresome - especially when dealing with local authorities housing benefit departments and utilities - there are always solutions to tenants problems.

like any business there are highs and lows - but you do need to be especially aware of changing legislation ALL the time .......

Smi1er

Perhaps the OP could accept a bit of responsibility and put up a handrail herself?

subjecttocontract

No ....she would almost certainy be in breach of her tenancy agreement.