28th
Feb 2016
A Bolton landlord has been found responsible for a tenant’s death caused by a fire in his rental property; he received was fined £1,500 by the Bolton Magistrates’ Court.
The father of two died in his rented flat because a previous tenant had decided to switch off the fire alarm system, the reason was that it meant they could ‘smoke in peace’.
At the court hearing the landlord admitted guilt to nine offences under the Housing Act 2004, including not ensuring that the extinguishers were in proper working order.
The police did not suspect any foul play and it was the council who discovered that the fire and smoke detection system had been turned off.
The court determined that the landlord was not guilty for turning the system off, however he was found responsible by not checking the alarms and fire safety extinguishers.. There was a battery backup system however it was not sufficient as it only had a few hours ‘running time’.
The landlord had also pleaded guilty for not arranging a gas inspection since December 2014, lack of fire blankets and the stairs which would have hindered escape from a fire. He had also failed to signpost his contact details in the property.
The Prosecutor Catherine Waudby who acted on behalf of Bolton Council, told the court: “During the inspection a number of contraventions of the regulations were noted in both the common parts and the flats. Whilst it is appreciated that some of these will have been caused by tenants or visitors, the number of issues identified at the property, particularly those relating to fire safety, clearly suggests that the level of management was not to a satisfactory standard and had resulted in a number of contraventions.”
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