Landlords have been advised to help HMO tenants rock safely round the Christmas tree and not to let them deck the halls with flammable holly.
Landlord Licensing & Defence warns that HMOs are already subject to a wide range of safety regulations but that the risks are even higher at Christmas, so it’s important to make sure they’re complied with.
Phil Turtle, health and safety expert, fire safety risk assessor and co-founder, explains that it’s a good idea to announce a seasonal property inspection – after giving at least 24 hours’ notice.
Boughs of holly are a no-no in halls, landings and stairways which must be ‘fire sterile’, while this also goes for lights draped around doors or bannisters, Christmas trees in hallways, corridors or outside doors and all candles, including tealights, says Turtle. Christmas trees can turn into a massive fireball that pumps out poisonous smoke, taking over the whole building in just nine seconds.
Christmas trees and decorations can be displayed in communal living spaces such as lounges and dining rooms but landlords need to look out for trees blocking fire doors, fire escape windows or any form of emergency exit, decorations draped on or over smoke and heat alarms or near cooking equipment, tree lights and plug-in heaters overloading sockets and extension leads and candles.
Instead, HMO landlords can be more Santa than Scrooge by providing their own safe decorations.
Turtle adds that tenants may be tempted to cook Christmas feasts in their rooms. “But unless your HMO is specifically designed to accommodate cooking facilities in bedrooms and has the requisite fire alarms and other safety precautions, this should be strictly prohibited,” he explains.
“Breaching any of the government legislation surrounding the management of HMOs can result in fines of up to £30,000,” he adds. “But at this time of year, the consequences can be much worse than a financial penalty.”
Download Landlord Licensing & Defence’s free fire awareness booklet at landlordsdefence.co.uk/fire
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