Porch a communal area

[Guest Chris]

Hi all,

My landlord ( a Housing Association) has now declared that the porch that connects only 2 flats is now a communal area. As this is not maintained by them, ie: cleaning etc should this be classed as communal?

Even the electricity the powers the light in the porch runs of My electricity and I pay the bill for it.

They have told Us that We can no longer have mats by our front door's or even a net curtain up at the window, which was a way of stopping the low life in the area watching us go in and out of the flats, as this is classed as a risk.

I don't think the front doors are fire proof ones so should they now replace these?

[Tom Sutton]

This is clearly a communal area and is subject to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RR(FS)O, which means the Responsible Person (RP) has to conduct a fire risk assessment and is subject to the RR(FS)O. 

The landlord is the RP, who has to implement the RR(FS)O and is responsible for the common areas. Whoever has conducted the FRA has passed their finding onto the RP who appears to be implementing it and if the front doors are not being changed it looks like the FR assessor is satisfied they meet the required standards. 

Who pays is up to your tenant agreement nothing to do with the RR(FS)O. The enforcing authority is the local fire and rescue service and most do a FRA in domestic premises. You could contact them and request a FRA and when they are in attendance you could bring up the subject of the front doors and is the curtains/door mats OTT.   

Check out http://www.firesafe.org.uk/uk-fire-rescue-services-details/ for the contact details of your local FRS.