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Landlords warn of lack of accountability over fire safety failings
Landlords have warned that tower block residents are being let down by a system in which it is difficult to hold a single person or organisation to account for fire safety failings.
In its response to the government’s building regulations review, the Residential Landlords Association (RLA) said that under the current system, responsibility for fire safety is shared between the owners of a block, the fire services, the local authority and the owners of individual flats.
The RLA said this could mean fire safety improvements are not made because of confusion over who is responsible for carrying them out.
The organisation has called for a new system that means for every residential building there is a single person responsible for assessing and overseeing fire safety measures.
It added that these people should be supported by a new fire safety compliance code to make sure others involved with a building, such as occupiers, know the role they should play in fire safety.
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There should also be one enforcement body for fire safety measures. This responsibility is currently split between local councils and the fire service, the RLA said.
The RLA also said “confused and sometimes contradictory” fire safety guidance needs to be updated to help landlords.
At present, landlords are expected to abide by fire safety guidance issued by LACORS, a body that no longer exists; fire safety regulations that date back to 2005; and building regulation guidance issued in 2006.
Richard Jones, policy consultant at the RLA, said: “It is vital that the right lessons are learnt to prevent a tragedy such as Grenfell Tower happening again.
“While there are widespread powers and regulations already available to ensure properties are safe, too often they are not being properly applied as a result of confused and sometimes contradictory guidance and no single person having overall responsibility for fire safety in a residential building.
“This needs to change to give residents peace of mind and ensure much better lines of accountability on such serious issues.”
