A London council has fined a letting agency over £10,000 for failing to install smoke alarms in a rental property.
Waltham Forest council has prosecuted Just Move Estates, located in Walthamstow, using powers under the Housing and Planning Act.
The agency claimed that tenants had removed three smoke alarms from a rental property in Leyton. However, upon inspection council offers found no evidence they were ever installed, according to a report in the East London and West Essex Guardian.
The council then proceeded to issue the agency with a civil penalty. The firm originally appealed the fine, before withdrawing and accepting to pay £10,000 plus costs of £750.
Waltham Forest Council becomes one of the first authorities in the capital to prosecute under the Housing and Planning Act for failing to fit smoke alarms in a rental property.
Waltham Forest's cabinet member for housing, Councillor Louise Mitchell, said: "I’m genuinely shocked that an experienced lettings agent like Just Move Estates thought they might get away with this."
"As an established agency, trusted by landlords and tenants alike, they really should know better. We would very much expect this hefty fine will help them to remember their obligations."
London Fire Brigade’s deputy assistant commissioner, Al Perez, added: "Any landlord who fails to fit smoke alarms is not only breaking the law but needlessly putting tenants’ lives at risks."
"We welcome this result for Waltham Forest Council, and we hope this will act as a wake-up call to all landlords that under this legislation it is your responsibility to install measures to keep residents safe from fire."
"It’s absolutely vital to have working smoke alarms fitted on every level of your home. We would also urge everyone to make sure they have one fitted in every room where a fire can start except kitchens or bathrooms where heat alarms are more appropriate," he said.
"They give the earliest warning possible when there’s a fire and there’s no excuse for landlords not to fit them."
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The same rules dont apply to councils. Ask them the same question, do you apply the same rules for an HMO property to the Council owned property next door?
If the smoke alarm is hard wired there is no battery to change. If it is a battery operated alarm, just twist the cover off. It will chirp and birp. It is supposed to, so you will know it is disconnected... https://www.assignmentdoer.co.uk/
If the smoke alarm is hard wired there is no battery to change. If it is a battery operated alarm, just twist the cover off. It will chirp and birp. It is supposed to, so you will know it is disconnected... Assignment doer uk
Yes there is!
All normal hard-wired detectors have back up batteries.
They degrade and will need changing as will any detector which had an expiry date.
Potentially they would still work...........but what if they didn't and a fire resulted killing a tenant!?
So LA need to know the expiry dates and locations of ALL detectors in properties they manage.
I bet not many have such records.
If they don't how would they know when to replace!?
the council and politicians are all overly keen to hang small time private landlord high and dry but they themselves are contravening the very rules they impose on the private rental sector. the rule on smoke alarm was suppose to be impose on hmo properties yet some others been sued in court for smoke alarm in family rented homes. how is that allowed? or happened. can the court justify finding a private landlord guilty of the home rented to families not hmo and does council have power over the houses rented to families?
Letting agents charge landlords expenses for giving these services and all things considered, they are authoritatively obliged to put their customers' best interests first. Tenants are also charged Assignment Help Sydney expenses for services and in return receive a duty of care; at no time would this be able to negate landowner's interests.
landowner are also human. they also paid and relied on the letting agents to do it right by the law. You wrote that tenants are also charge expenses for services in return. Did you question who did they pay to? its to the letting agents. not the landlords. you need to look at the both sides in order to justify your comments. Landowner not necessarily be on site to check on things. its call business. you invest and pay others to do the job. Thats how jobs are available to others and increase revenue for the country and keep people off benefits.
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A letting agent is an expression for a catalyst through which an contract is prepared between a property-owner and occupant for the rental of a housing property. UK Assignment Help London
It’s, in reality, crucial to have running smoke alarms geared up on every degree of your home. We might also urge anybody to make sure they've one geared up in each room where a hearth can start beside kitchens or bathrooms wherein warmth alarms are extra suitable Do my Assignment Cheap Uk
Thats how jobs are available to others and increase revenue for the country and keep people off benefits.
Great article couldn’t be write much better
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