A Birmingham Council officer has saved the lives of a family of renters during a selective licensing compliance visit.

The officer was conducting a routine inspection of a privately rented home in the city when he met a family who thought they had food poisoning but were in fact suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning.

An alarm had been going off for weeks, but the four tenants didn’t realise it was the carbon monoxide detector. The officer quickly called emergency services, three ambulances arrived, and the family was taken to hospital. The authority reports that had the family stayed in the property for much longer, they would have almost certainly died.

Initial investigations revealed that a newly installed gas boiler was not vented properly, allowing carbon monoxide to enter the home. Birmingham Council is now reminding landlords of the importance of carbon monoxide detectors.

Lifesaving

Jayne Francis (pictured), cabinet member for housing and homelessness, says it shows how the scheme can be lifesaving as well as improving standards in the rented sector. Currently, about 25% of compliance inspections require landlords to take action.

“We also want to remind private landlords of the importance of carbon monoxide detectors and their gas safety responsibilities,” says Francis. “I urge landlords to make sure their tenants understand what the carbon monoxide detector does and what to do if it sounds.

“Landlords should also ensure their gas boilers are installed by qualified professionals registered with ‘Gas Safe’. I want also to thank the officer who conducted the visit for their quick thinking that saved this family.”

Picture credit: Birmingham City Council/Shutterstock