Fire safety in HIMO’s

A recent inspection of a domestic sized HIMO that is used for student accommodation in Norwich revealed a series of failings on behalf of both the landlord and the letting agency:

• No acceptable fire detection system.
• Three smoke alarms were fitted, two did not work, they were all battery operated and not interlinked.
• Several of the first floor windows did not meet the criteria for escape windows and as a result of that the property should have had fire doors to protect the escape from the first floor.
• There was in fact no door to the kitchen so any fire in the kitchen would have directly compromised the means of escape from the first floor.
• No first aid firefighting equipment and no fire instructions.
• No Portable Appliance Testing
• Most fatalities occur in house fires, HIMOs are a very high risk.

If you are responsible for fire safety in such properties think carefully, its no good having a nice carpet if the occupants are trapped upstairs and are dying!

Contact us for advice on your responsibilities, do not rely on a letting agency that does not understand the principles of fire safety.