A Leicester landlord has been sentenced to eight months in prison for ignoring fire safety regulations and putting his tenants’ lives at risk, the FIA reports.

Despite having been warned about the safety of his properties, Haresh Rambhai Patel ignored the Council’s advice and was prosecuted after two adjoining properties caught fire in May 2013.

The prosecution for Leicestershire Fire & Rescue Service explained: “There was an abject failure on the part of the defendant to address the question of fire safety.

“There was no risk assessment, no evacuation strategy and the alarm system wasn’t working.

He carried out no checks. He did not have licences to run multiple-occupation houses and because he had no licences he wasn’t on the fire safety register and received no official fire safety visits.”

Patel was also ordered to pay £13,704 prosecution costs. He had previously been fined £38,000 in a separate prosecution for failing to have the necessary licences to rent out the properties.

Fire Safety Regulations

At SS Systems we can not stress how important it is to make sure your fire risk assessments are up to data and performed by an experienced professional. If you are in any doubt at all as to your legal obligations as an employer, landlord or property owner, then please click here for an initial guide.