Front door does not open properly

[Guest Lawrencewo]

Hello. I was wondering if you can help me please. I have a problem with the front door of my property which my landlord has refused to fix until April. The door is broken and in the event of a fire in our kitchen area, we could not escape due to the awkward design of the house. We cannot get out of the house from that front door as handle is broken. Please advise.

[Tom Sutton]

Is this a house occupied as a single private dwelling, if it is then it is not subject to The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 other than article 31(10). Talk to your local Fire and Rescue Service and get their opinion. Also have you checked your tenancy agreement and you could also visit the local Community Advice Centre (CAB).

[Guest Snich]

Hi,
I just wanted some advice! I live in a rented property, a 2 storey house, and recently our front door wouldn't open. Our landlord said it wasn't an emergency as we had an exit route through the garage. This worried me greatly as if there was a fire in the garage, we wouldn't be able to get onto the road as our back garden is very small and fenced. It took them a week to fix the front door. Do you know if the landlord is correct in his assumptions?
many thanks for any help you can give
S

[Tom Sutton]

It would all depend on the means of escape being satisfactory and a number of factors need to be considered, layout, travel distances, width of door openings, fire risk and is the back garden totally enclosed. Sorry I cannot give a proper answer without knowing many factors and a physical survey to ensure fire separation is satisfactory.