Window regulations in rented house

gemini_girl

Are there certain window requirements in rented houses?
Saw an ad on daft for house to let but the front room windows & bedroom windows dont open out to the side, there are just 2 small upper windows that my 3 yr old wouldnt fit out. If there was a fire you couldnt fit out these windows unless you were a cat. Might have to move in a few months so doing some research now

riclad

I think that house would be in breach of fire safety regulations,
as there needs to be a way to exit the building if the door is blocked by fire.

ie some windows may need to be opened at least from the inside.

Graces7

riclad wrote: »

I think that house would be in breach of fire safety regulations,
as there needs to be a way to exit the building if the door is blocked by fire.

ie some windows may need to be opened at least from the inside.

terrible thought. wonder how many houses are like this. would have issues here too if there were a fire downstairs

Ray Palmer

riclad wrote: »

I think that house would be in breach of fire safety regulations,
as there needs to be a way to exit the building if the door is blocked by fire.

ie some windows may need to be opened at least from the inside.

Not true. Only one window upstairs must have the ability to open in the event of a fire to escape. Not every room has to have a window that you can exit from.

The regulations get more complex when you start talking about more than 2 floors. Basically the rule is there must be more than one exit per floor. That is why an attic conversion must have a fire door and also have another method of escape. A rope ladder is sufficient once the window in the attic let people exit through it.

gemini_girl

Ray Palmer wrote: »

Not true. Only one window upstairs must have the ability to open in the event of a fire to escape. Not every room has to have a window that you can exit from.

The regulations get more complex when you start talking about more than 2 floors. Basically the rule is there must be more than one exit per floor. That is why an attic conversion must have a fire door and also have another method of escape. A rope ladder is sufficient once the window in the attic let people exit through it.

So if all the windows upstairs were ones with small openings at top would they be in breach? Technically there would be no way to exit the first floor. There was an incident about 2 years ago where 2 children died because of a fire & they couldnt get out the window (small high up windows) & as ive 2 kids its something thats stuck with me

Ray Palmer

WhiteTiger wrote: »

So if all the windows upstairs were ones with small openings at top would they be in breach? Technically there would be no way to exit the first floor. There was an incident about 2 years ago where 2 children died because of a fire & they couldnt get out the window (small high up windows) & as ive 2 kids its something thats stuck with me

Correct for new builds. Older buildings do not have to be brought up to code. It depends when it was built. Many building rules do not have to be retrospectively applied even when renting.

You can ring the local council and ask if you have concerns. If the property has been registered the local council do inspections. You can request an inspection if you are unsure. Realistically that is the best thing to do if you are that concerned.

Mrs OBumble

Ray Palmer wrote: »

Correct for new builds. Older buildings do not have to be brought up to code. It depends when it was built. Many building rules do not have to be retrospectively applied even when renting.

However I have a feeling that the rules do get applied if you're applying for Rent Allowance, ie you cannot get it for a house that does not meet current fire-code (even if your friendly local heritage office would not allow code-compliant stuff to be installed because of the history of the building).

Ray Palmer

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

However I have a feeling that the rules do get applied if you're applying for Rent Allowance, ie you cannot get it for a house that does not meet current fire-code (even if your friendly local heritage office would not allow code-compliant stuff to be installed because of the history of the building).

No RA has no stipulation RAS does however have stricter rules. Nobody comes specifically to check RA property. Fire regulation and new building codes are different. So current fire-code applies to new builds only.
Most peoples' homes would not match current building fire regulations. A house built in the 80s doesn't have to match a new build.

People mix up this stuff all the time. Think about it practically would you really expect that every house has to be changed when the regulations are updated?

Chances are this house is fine. I can't remember but I think the window opening is for double glazed window due to how hard they are to break. Single glazed might not have this restriction. Only way for the OP to be sure is get it inspected.

riclad

I Presume there must be a rule re size of windows that can be opened ,so that an adult person can open them and get thru them,
use them as an exit in case of fire .