‘Deathtrap’ landlords jailed

Two Northern landlords have been jailed and ordered to pay close to £9,000 in costs after renting out properties described as "death traps" by fire service investigators.

Shahbaz Fazal and Israr Fazal pleaded guilty to a combined 15 offences brought by Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service. Both landlords were sentenced to three months imprisonment on following their negligent running of eight first-floor flats on Stockport Road, Longsight.

Charges brought under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 saw both men ordered to pay £8,975 in costs, as according to Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, there was a "systematic failure" to carry out a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment.

This combined with a failure to ensure escape routes could be used quickly and as safely as possible, and failure to co-operate with officers carrying out their lawful duty, lead to the duo's sentences.

Speaking after the sentencing, Peter O'Reilly, Director of Prevention and Protection at the fire service, said: "In blatantly disregarding their duties and legal obligations as landlords, these two men have been irresponsible and reckless in the extreme.

"There was no means of raising the alarm if a fire started in these properties and, even if someone had been alerted to a fire early on, their escape route would have been blocked by refuse and discarded furniture. If a fire had broken out, the chances of survival for any of the residents - which were families with young children - would have been extremely low.

The case has highlighted the responsibilities faced by all landlords when renting their properties out to paying tenants. For information on how you can make your property secure and how to set up a fire risk assessment, contact our experts today.