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London landlord and Homes England cut ties with sanctioned fire engineer
A large London landlord has severed ties, and Homes England has suspended its relationship, with a fire assessor that has been sanctioned by the Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE).
Notting Hill Genesis (NHG) said in a statement that it has investigated the peer reviews carried out by Adam Kiziak and his firm Tri Fire, and found they were “not as robust as necessary”.
The concern about Mr Kiziak’s company comes after he carried out risk assessments, External Wall System 1 (EWS1) surveys and fire engineering, and was then suspended from the IFE in August 2024 for failing to work within professional competence and breaching the organisation’s principle of “accuracy and vigour”.
The IFE is an independent professional body for people in the fire engineering sector.
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NHG said: “We have carried out our own investigations into the peer review process offered by Tri Fire and are concerned it is not as robust as necessary. As a result of this, we will no longer use Tri Fire. We will support the IFE with their enquiries and share any relevant information.
“This means that the process for securing an updated EWS1 form, which we provided earlier this month, will need to change. We will no longer be instructing Tri Fire to peer review EWS1 reports and will no longer be issuing a letter of comfort.
“Instead, we will be commissioning new EWS1 forms, using a different fire engineering consultant from our supply chain, and seeking to use a number of companies on our framework. We will continue to look at how we can best scrutinise any new forms that are provided to ensure they can be relied upon.”
This decision by the landlord comes just days after a major bank paused lending on buildings signed off by Mr Kiziak.
Tri Fire has promised to work with any organisations that have concerns about the firm’s work.
A spokesperson for the IFE has previously told Inside Housing that when it sanctions a member, “it does not necessarily invalidate work completed prior to or unrelated to the complaint and resulting sanction”.
A spokesperson for Homes England has confirmed that Tri Fire has been suspended from the Cladding Safety Scheme panel while allegations against the firm are investigated.
This means that Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls (FRAEW) produced by Tri Fire cannot be used to support any new application to either the Cladding Safety Scheme or Building Safety Fund (BSF).
Inside Housing understands that the government’s housing and regeneration agency is carrying out an audit of all Tri Fire reports received to provide further assurance.
None of the company’s reports have been submitted to the BSF since issues were first raised and additional control measures are in place for those carried out prior to their suspension.
A government spokesperson added: “We are aware of allegations against Tri Fire and we have suspended them from the Cladding Safety Scheme panel of assessors while these claims are investigated.
“We are carrying out an audit of all Tri Fire reports and additional control measures are in place on reports carried out prior to their suspension.”
In response to the decision taken by NHG, a law firm acting on behalf of Mr Kiziak said: “We can confirm that Mr Kiziak’s membership of the IFE has been suspended whilst this matter is investigated.
“He is able to work but does not currently have the benefit of the IFE accreditation. We can’t offer any further detail as there is a pending investigation. No determinations have been made. We are very sorry for any distress that this has caused.
“We are working to resolve this issue as soon as possible, including alternative options for peer review. We encourage those who have concerns to contact us and we will provide them with any additional support and assistance that they may need.”
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