As you may be aware, my Fire Safety (Protection of Tenants) Bill had its Second Reading on Friday 19th November 2010. Sadly the Bill was ‘talked out’, meaning there was time to complete the Second Reading. The Second Reading has been scheduled to resume on Friday 20th January 2012.
The Bill would require all rented properties, in both private and social sectors, to have a working, hard-wired smoke detection and warning system at the beginning of any tenancy agreement.
Over two hundred people every year die in the UK in fires in residential properties without smoke alarms, or where the smoke alarm is not in working order. Placing the responsibility on landlords to ensure that their properties had smoke detection equipment which is integral to the property would have a significant impact of saving lives across the UK.
Rented dwellings also very often contain vulnerable tenants who are unable to invest in their own fire safety. This Bill would have the most significant effect on the most vulnerable in society.
What the Bill proposes:
- To ensure that all rented properties, in both private and social sectors, have a working, hard-wired smoke detection and warning system at the beginning of any tenancy agreement.
- It would subsequently be the responsibility of the tenant to report any damage to the alarm system to the landlord.
Why the Bill is necessary:
- In the last year for which figures are available (2007), there were 331 deaths and 10,937 non fatal casualties resulting from domestic fires in the United Kingdom.
- In 137 of these deaths there was no smoke alarm present, in a further 85 a smoke alarm was present but failed to raise the alarm.
- Although over 80% of homes have a smoke alarm, nearly half of all fires occur in the minority of homes that do not.
- Mandatory hard wired smoke alarms was recommended by the Deputy Prime Minister Select Committee in 2004.
- Rented properties already have a statutory obligation for gas system checking and for the energy performance certificate.
- Rented dwellings very often contain vulnerable tenants who are unable to invest in their own fire safety.
- If implemented, these regulations could save dozens of lives and prevent thousands of injuries every year.
- Fire damage cost £1.3billion in 2008.
- The cost of fire doubled from 2002 to 2008.
