We are urging landlords to take advantage of a new guide issued by the National Landlords Association (NLA) to protect their tenants and ensure they don’t fall foul of fire safety laws.
Our call comes as the National HMO Network Conference is hosted at London Fire Brigade Headquarters today( Friday 27, February), an event attended by landlords and landlord associations from across the UK.
The NLA Fire Safety Logbook is aimed mainly at small private landlords and provides them with a handy one-stop shop fire safety check list that ensures they have all the necessary precautions in place in their properties that might be needed. The logbook has been reviewed by the London Fire Brigade.
Register with the NLA to download the NLA Fire Safety Logbook
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The logbook includes a year long planner for mandatory checks on essential fire safety equipment such as smoke detectors, extinguishers and emergency lighting and also that any means of escape in the property are kept clear. The new guide also allows landlords to record fires and false alarms and defects to any fire safety equipment.
It is best practice for landlords to keep a written fire risk assessment and be able to prove to fire safety regulators that they have completed one. To encourage them to do this the logbook includes a fire safety risk assessment template which allows you to take an organised and methodical look at their premises, identifying what fire hazards exist, who could be at risk and what can be done to control any of those potential hazards
London Fire Brigade’s Assistant Commissioner for Fire Safety Regulation Neil Orbell said: “Making sure that landlords understand their fire safety responsibilities is a priority for us and the NLA’s new fire safety log book will allow them to keep a record of their fire safety precautions in one document. It will also allow them to demonstrate to fire safety regulators and enforcers that they have the correct measures in place to control fire risks within their properties.
“We would also like to see local authority staff, such as environmental health and housing officers, promote the guide to the landlords that they regularly liaise with.”
• The NLA Fire Logbook is intended to be used in conjunction with the LACORS Housing Fire safety guide.
• London Fire Brigade has launched a new campaign and website, www.knowtheplan.co.uk , to help ensure landlords and housing providers act on their fire safety responsibilities and people living flats and maisonettes in purpose built blocks have a clear understanding of what to do in a fire.
• The dedicated website is full of information for landlords and building owners which explains their fire safety responsibilities and includes materials to help them inform tenants about what to do in the event of a fire.