Agent helps landlords prepare for the latest fire safety regulations.
Townends Estate Agents is urging landlords to implement new fire regulations now to ensure they are compliant before the new legislation, relating to smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, comes into force on 10th October 2015. Townends’ Home Safety Kits, which go beyond basic requirements, give landlords the reassurance they are fully compliant, avoiding a heavy penalty and offering tenants greater peace of mind.
Under the new legislation, all landlords in the private rental sector across the UK will be required to install smoke alarms on every floor of their rental properties and test them at the start of every tenancy. Carbon monoxide alarms must also be installed in all high risk rooms – such as those which contain a solid fuel burning combustion appliance. Landlords failing to meet the new regulations could face a civil penalty of up to £5,000 for breach of duty.
Caroline Kavanagh, Managing Director of Townends Estate Agents, comments: “Letting a property should be viewed as a business and landlords have a duty of care to ensure the safety of their tenants, just as an employer would their employees. We fully support the introduction of this ruling and want to make it as easy as possible for all of our landlords to be fully compliant as soon as possible. Landlords should view this as an opportunity to demonstrate their professionalism through thorough due diligence and put themselves one step ahead.”
Townends’ Home Safety Kit ensures adequate precautions are provided for landlords and includes smoke alarms, a carbon monoxide alarm, a fire blanket and fire extinguisher.
“We understand that landlords often feel their list of obligations is ever growing and many find it a challenge keeping up with the number of requirements affecting landlords. However, sufficient knowledge of current legislation is imperative and with over 40% of fire related deaths occurring in properties without working smoke alarms, every landlord should want to treat their rental property with the same precautionary measures as they would their own home” concludes Caroline Kavanagh.
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