Tenent, is it law to have a handrail?

clutton_2

if the LL applies to be Accredited to her local authority - its is very possible that there are funds available to her to remedy matters like these. Different councils work in different ways, but, it might be worth a phone call or two - if she can get these works done for free, then she will see you as a Very caring tenant !!! One of my local authorities Accreditation units send a surveyor to inspect properties and they then do a Risk Assessment as already mentioned (HSSRS ? i think) - and grade one risks are often paid for by the Local authority - i suspect a hand rail would definitely be a grade one - as i think would non-safety glass.

good luck - just talk to her - i am sure she would not be averse to making your life better and reducing her own risk

tbs624

BobProperty wrote: »

I've read through this and have a few comments. First the question no-one has yet asked: Why have you fallen on the stairs so many times?
Next, the legal aspect. Building Regulations don't apply retrospectively, so if the place was built without a handrail then you can't force the owner to put one there on that basis.

Agreed -

tbs624 wrote: »

Think possibly what you're looking for can be found in Document * K* of the Building Regs "Protection from Falling, Collision and Impact" ........
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.

BobProperty wrote: »

Personally, I'm with GG on this. If it was my property and the tenant asked me for a handrail because they'd slipped on the stairs a couple of times, I'd just go round there and install one.

And that's the key point - sometimes straightforward communication between LL & T will resolve these matters

bubbles0169

bob property i fell down the stairs 3 times when i moved into our rented property and we had a hand rail! i think it was because the stairs are so steep what with it being victorian and going down them i used to forget to take extra care because they were steeper than normal then weeee away id go! Everyone who comes to ours hates them but after 7 years of being here were used to them now and my 7 year old DD even does two at a time which makes my heart leap into my mouth
OP i havent fallen in years so it will get better HAHA

lil_me

Thanks for the info clutton, I've already saved her a fortune on a roof repair and the conservatory which was leaking aswell as many other things so I will look into this next week

clutton_2

if you are organising all the repairs for her - do you really want to live there ? - just a thought

Gorgeous_George

clutton wrote: »

GG - not everyone is a DIY person - in any case this is the LL's responsibility

Agreed, that's why my final sentence reads LL - SORT IT OUT!

GG

lil_me

clutton wrote: »

if you are organising all the repairs for her - do you really want to live there ? - just a thought

Not much choice if I want it doing quickly as she lives over 300 miles away I try to be a good tenant as much as possible, I couldn't be horrible like some tenants are deliberately damaging stuff etc and make sure the rent is paid well in advance as I want to be able to obtain good references if we have to move. Most things we've managed to deal with thankfully. I like living here because of the size of the house, where it is and the landlady is ok with pets which many are not. We paid a fortune in EA fees to move in here and I don't want her selling the house from under us or not renewing our tenancy because of any issues as it'll be a while before I can save up the amount it cost us to move again.

clutton_2

u sound like an ideal tenant to me .....

paintpot

clutton wrote: »

u sound like an ideal tenant to me .....

I agree clutton being a landlady myself. So, if your landlord complains about paying for a handrail then I would be inclined to take issue.

I don't understand some landlords, I have installed several handrails to date when refurbishing properties, admittedly, in the early of being a BTL landlord I was initally told by a letting agent it was advisable and learnt from there. I have also had to put additional slats in staircases as they were too wide and a child could fall through and replaced glass at the bottom of a staircase - my glazier told me he was 99% sure it was safety glass but it didn't have a kite mark and I said 99% wasn't good enough. When it was removed it materialised it wasn't safety glass. I want to be bomb proof as a landlord and pride myself on providing not only safe but high quality properties and dealing with issues promptly. It is always better to be safe than sorry.

Diamond78

paintpot wrote: »

I agree clutton being a landlady myself. So, if your landlord complains about paying for a handrail then I would be inclined to take issue.

I don't understand some landlords, I have installed several handrails to date when refurbishing properties, admittedly, in the early of being a BTL landlord I was initally told by a letting agent it was advisable and learnt from there. I have also had to put additional slats in staircases as they were too wide and a child could fall through and replaced glass at the bottom of a staircase - my glazier told me he was 99% sure it was safety glass but it didn't have a kite mark and I said 99% wasn't good enough. When it was removed it materialised it wasn't safety glass. I want to be bomb proof as a landlord and pride myself on providing not only safe but high quality properties and dealing with issues promptly. It is always better to be safe than sorry.

I wish more landlords was like you. I have a landlord from hell, hopefully will find some where better and decent and move from where I live and have a nice decent landlord like you.