Lease hold flats served by a managed hallway.

[Guest Chris]

I am in the process of assessing a site and I have come across something unusual. My client owns a block of flats and two particular flats in question are served by their own hall (quite small, about 8' x 4'). Both of these flats are leased, however the hall has been retained by the landlord. Both lease holders have replaced their doors which are now not compliant FD30 doors. My question is: Will this hallway have to be treated as any other hall serving the rest of the block ie. take into consideration that the compartmentation is not up to scratch and pursue the lease holders in renewing their doors?

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Chris.

[Tom Sutton]

Who has access to these hallways, the owner, the flat occupiers or all the occupants of the premises?

[Guest Chris]

Hi,

Thanks for your response.

The owner has access in order to maintain the area and the two (lease holder) occupiers only. It has three doors, the main front door (ground floor) and two flat doors internally so serves no other part of the building - which is a converted terrace house.

[Tom Sutton]

I would apply the HOUSING – FIRE SAFETY Guidance on fire safety provisionsfor certain types of existing housing which would mean the doors to the flats would need to be FD30s doors, to protect each other. It may be possible to accept an existing lower standard of protection in the protected route if there are suitable escape windows from bedrooms and living rooms

How this is achieved would be up to the landlord by doing it himself or getting the tenants to change the doors.

[Guest Chris]

Thanks again, I had not considered other routes from the building so I will look into this.

[Tom Sutton]

No prob.