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Second London landlord stops working with sanctioned fire engineer
A second major London landlord has stopped working with a prolific fire engineer after he was sanctioned by an industry body.
L&Q announced it has stopped working with Adam Kiziak and his firm Tri Fire, and will review all building safety certificates issued by it.
The 109,000-home landlord explained it is now working with an independent panel of fire engineers to review any building inspections conducted by Tri Fire at L&Q buildings.
Where this panel is not satisfied with the firm’s report, L&Q will instruct a new inspection of the building “as soon as possible”.
L&Q’s statement came after fellow London housing association Notting Hill Genesis said last week that it would no longer use Tri Fire for fire assessments.
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Homes England has also suspended Tri Fire from its Cladding Safety Scheme panel while the allegations against the firm are investigated.
Mr Kiziak’s company was suspended from the Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE) in August 2024 for failing to work within professional competence and breaching the organisation’s principle of “accuracy and vigour”.
Tri Fire had carried out risk assessments, External Wall System 1 (EWS1) surveys and fire engineering on dozens of buildings.
Tri Fire has promised to work with any organisations that have concerns about its work.
L&Q added that it was “very sorry to hear that some residents are now struggling to secure a mortgage, as some lenders are rejecting EWS1 forms issued by Tri Fire”.
Last month, Inside Housing reported that Nationwide had paused lending on buildings signed off by Tri Fire. This has left leaseholders fearing they will have to spend thousands of pounds on replacement fire assessments to sell their homes.
L&Q said: “We will work with residents and their mortgage lenders to support them through this process.”
The association continued: “We understand that this situation may be difficult and frustrating for residents. We apologise for any stress this may cause and will do everything we can to ensure that inspections are reviewed, and where necessary undertaken again, as quickly as possible.
“Residents will not be charged for the cost of the new inspections and if your building requires work to make it safe as a result of our review, you will benefit from the same protections in place since June 2022.”
Mr Kiziak’s lawyer said in response to L&Q’s statement: “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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