Landlords - don’t get burnt!

Landlords large and small are being urged to pay more attention to the safety of their tenants following the first successful prosecution under the new regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order which came into effect in October 2006.

Mr. Mehmet Parlak, a London landlord, received a four-month prison sentence and his company Watchcare Properties was fined £21,000 for several breaches of the order.  Mr.Parlak is the first person to receive a custodial sentence under the legislation which replaced more than 70 pieces of fire safety law.

At a time when more and more people are renting property owing to the difficulty in securing home loans, the issue of health and safety in rented accommodation is coming to the fore.  Landlords often complain that the burden of protective legislation seems to increase year on year, but the penalties for breaches in health and safety law mean that the costs of compliance far undercut the cost of breaching the legislation.

If you’d like to know more about the legislation that affects you as a landlord, please do not hesitate to get in-touch with us.