Evening All,
I have just had an FRA for the communal area in our converted house. Its a 4 storey house with 3 flats each sharing an entrance way through the main front door.
Most of the recommendations are easy to understand but im struggling with the following parts - can anyone offer advice?
Secondly - are these requirements something that has to be done or advisories? Obviously we bought the flat about 10 years ago and none of this ever came up - is it that new or is it just advice?
The electrics cupboard in the hallway requires upgrading to be 30-minutes fire
resisting. It must also be fitted with a lock to lock it shut. It must have combined
intumescent strips / cold smoke seals fitted to any openings / doors. Any gaps / holes
must be fire stopped with fire rated filler / foam. It must comply with BS 476.
The current cupboard is just a wooden box - so I assume we need to buy something else - what do we buy?
It is unclear if the premises comply fully with the requirements of Building Regulations
1991 or later; it is however unlikely that they do. A certificate must be obtained from the
Local Council Building Control Department if it has not been obtained already. If a
certificate cannot be obtained or the building is found not to comply then a fire alarm
system will be required as stated below. In the Assessors opinion the premises are
unlikely to comply.
• No suitable fire alarm (Domestic single point smoke alarms do not comply with the
requirements) system is installed in the common area. This is not compliant with the
law and a full fire alarm and detection system is required to be installed.
• It must be a Grade A (part 1): M/LD2 system with a manual call point by the final exit,
smoke detection coverage in the common areas and a heat detector / sounder in each
flat in the room / lobby opening on to the escape route (Interlinked).
So given the flats were converted in the 1970's, I would also imagine there is no building regs certificate - but how would I know?
If I need to install a fire alarm - which one? The communal area is a staircase and a front door - nothing else - a full panel based fire alarm with detectors in the flats seems hugely overkill - is there a cut down version for converted flats?
Thanks all
