CORRECTION: Faulty fire alarms land landlord in court

A Leeds based property management and letting agent has been found guilty in Leeds Magistrates Court for failing to properly manage a licensable House in Multiple Occupation.

YourStudentHome.com Ltd, based in Headingley, was fined £1,500 and ordered to pay £516 costs on Thursday.

The firm had pleaded guilty to the charge that the smoke alarms provided at the five-bedroom shared student house at 17 Claremont Avenue were not maintained in good working order.

The case came about as a result of an inspection of the property by an officer from Leeds City Council. They found that the fire alarms were not working, putting the five tenants at serious risk if a fire had broken out.

In order to protect the tenants the council officer arranged for West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service to visit the property and provided temporary smoke alarms.

Under the Housing Act 2004 all Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) are required to have fire alarm systems and there is a legal duty on managers of these properties to ensure that fire alarm systems are maintained.

Councillor Les Carter, Leeds City Council executive board member for housing, said:
“The majority of landlords in Leeds take their responsibilities to their tenants seriously, but when we find any that do not we will not hesitate to take action.
“Our HMO licensing scheme is there to protect tenants, help landlords maintain standards, and make sure that rented accommodation in the city is safe.”

ENDS
For media enquiries please contact:
Michael Molcher, Leeds City Council (0113) 224 3937
e-mail: michael.molcher@leeds.gov.uk