Call Us

We appreciate everybody’s needs are different so for a more in depth discussion about your requirements please call us on
for a free quotation

Birmingham landlord pays £4500 after fatal HMO fire

A Birmingham landlord has had to pay £4,500 after failing to maintain smoke alarms at a property he had rented out on a multi-occupancy basis to four tenants, one of whom died in a fire.
Birmingham Magistrates Court heard on 6 August that two smoke alarms installed in the house had no batteries in them at the time of the fire. The prosecution was brought by Birmingham City Council under the Housing Act 2004.
The landlord, Mumtaz Mohammed from Sparkhill, pleaded guilty to failing to ensure that fire alarms were in good working order, under Regulation 4 of the Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (England) Regulations 2006. Mr Mohammed was fined £2,500 and was also ordered to pay the council’s legal costs of £2,000.
Taj Sikander was asleep at the property on 18 November 2009 after working a night shift when the fire broke out at around 11.00 am. He is believed to have died from smoke inhalation and the cause of the fire is thought to have been a faulty fridge freezer. The other three tenants were out of the house.
A spokesperson for Birmingham City Council said: “This case has sadly highlighted the fact that landlords who fail to comply with their legal obligations leave the council with no choice other than to prosecute them. It is hoped that this tragic case will serve as a warning to other landlords in the city that they should ensure that all their properties have adequate fire safety measures in place.”
FacebookTwitterLinkedInPinterest