Fire Precautions in Dwellings

A guide for landlords and managing agents of private sector housing. It is hoped that you will find this informative. Great Yarmouth Borough Council has a commitment to work with landlords, managing agents and tenants to improve the standards of housing within the private rented sector.

In an era where the local demand for Council and social housing outstrips the supply it is becoming increasingly important that private housing provides a decent and safe alternative. This document has been developed by the Borough Council as an essential guide on the fire safety precautions that are required for all types of properties in the private rented sector. It is primarily aimed at the owners, landlords, and managing agents of privately rented dwellings but can also serve as a guide for tenants and local fire safety enforcement officers.

The content is mostly derived from the LACORS publication Housing - Fire Safety and is intended for use as guidance only and is specifically aimed at improving the conditions in existing privately rented dwellings. Definitive interpretation of the legislative requirements can only be made by the relevant court of law or residential property tribunal. The Borough Council aims to update the guidance in this document as and when new legislation and guidance is laid down by Government.

As each property is unique it is not practicable to provide exact and prescribed standards for every property type. For example, in large or complex buildings with unusual layouts there may be additional fire safety requirements. In such cases the Borough Council will make assessments on a case-by-case basis and are happy to advise landlords accordingly.

It is advised that this guidance is used in conjunction with the Borough Council's publication Amenity Standards for Privately Rented Dwellings: A Guide for the Owners, Landlords and Managing Agents on the Housing Standards of Privately Rented Accommodation.