The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) report that every year in the UK more than 4,000 people die in accidents in the home, and nearly three million turn up at accident and emergency departments seeking treatment. People who live in rented accommodation may be more at risk than others.
So, what are the risks, how can you avoid them and who can you contact for advice and help? Use the links below to quickly access this information:
Home safety
Fire
Fire is an obvious serious risk, but that risk can be reduced by:
- Detection - smoke detectors and alarms give early warning of fire.
- Preventing the spread - fire doors and self-closing devices reduce the spread of flames and smoke.
- A safe escape route - a clearly marked, unobstructed escape route with emergency lighting provides a safe, quick escape from fire.
Whether gas or electric, keep heating appliances away from flammable materials!
Within any house, your landlord has a responsibility to provide adequate means of escape in case of fire and to make sure that all fire precautions are regularly tested and maintained by a suitably qualified person, such as a National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting (NICEIC) 
registered contractor.
If there's a fire:
- Alert people by raising the alarm;
- Contain the fire by closing doors as you make your escape;
- Evacuate people, get out, stay out and call the Fire Service immediately.
Cooking fat and chip pans cause many fires at home. Fire blankets should be readily accessible in the kitchen area and you should know how and when to use them. Do you?
Gas and faulty appliances
If you suspect a gas leak, contact the National Grid immediately on 0800 111 999. For more infromation on gas and gas appliances visit our Gas Safety page.
Electrical safety and furniture
You can use the links below to download useful documents on electrical safety:
Who is responsible for safety in your home?
Even if you are renting accommodation, although your landlord has certain responsibilities, it is vitally important that you take time to help yourself by safety checking your own home surroundings - it may prevent an accident or even save your life!
Under Management Regulations that apply to houses in multiple occupation, a landlord has a duty to make sure that adequate precautions are taken to protect the safety of residents. If this applies to you, you may find that your landlord or managing agent will help you and you must tell them of your concerns.
Further information on Home Safety can be downloaded from the RoSPA website.
Assessing the risks in your home
We have listed some tips below to help you assess the risks in your home.
- Are carpets and other floor finishes properly fitted down?
- Are loose mats non-slip on the underside?
- Is lighting good at changes in floor level, steps and stairs?
- Are stairways and landings protected safely? Do they have handrails?
- Are windows child-safe and can you still get out in an emergency?
- Is any low level glazing properly fitted with safety glass?
- Do floors, stairs or other parts of the building seem unsafe in other ways?
- Are anti-topple brackets fitted to cookers and cooker safety guards when children are there?
- Are work-surfaces sufficient to keep children away from kettles and other hot or sharp objects? Do they fit close enough to both sides of the cooker to help stop children from reaching panhandles?
- Are self-closing fire doors, smoke detectors, fire alarms and emergency lighting fitted and maintained?
- Is a fire blanket provided in the kitchen area? Do you know how to use it?
- In a fire, could you leave the building by the front door without using a key and reach a place of safety?
- Do gas appliances work properly? Is there discolouring around gas fires or the top of water heaters?
- Have you seen the Gas Safety Certificate that the landlord should get for your home each year?
- Do electrical wires trail where they can be damaged, be in contact with water or be a trip hazard?
- Are electrical sockets overloaded, overheating, or giving electric shocks? Are wires old or damaged?
- Is furniture labelled as complying with fire regulations and a warning that 'Carelessness causes fire'?
- Do people who are young, elderly, have a disability or who are otherwise less able to react to an accident or emergency situation live in or visit your home? Is special care, advice or help needed?
Materials - furniture and furnishings
All furniture and furnishings supplied in let accommodation must comply with The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 
346Kb.
Some materials used to fill or cover furniture may be a fire risk, highly flammable and may produce poisonous gases on burning, such as cyanide or carbon monoxide. The Regulations set to phase out those potentially dangerous furniture and furnishings and make sure that those left or newly provided can pass tests for fire safety.
The Regulations apply to furniture provided in rented accommodation. They affect landlords, estate agents and letting agents who let such accommodation.
Responsibilities of agents and landlords
The responsibility imposed by the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations may apply to the landlord or to the agent. Which of them is responsible depends on how the agent acts for the landlord. In general, the agent is not responsible provided that the contract for letting the property, including the furniture, is between the owner and the tenant, in which case the landlord is responsible for complying with the Regulations.
If the agent, acting in the course of their business, enters into a contract with the tenant to let furnished property on behalf of the landlord then the agent would have assumed responsibility for letting the property and complying with the Regulations.
These products are covered by the Regulations:
- furniture intended for use in a home, for example armchairs, sofas, padded seats
- beds, head-boards and mattresses of any size
- sofa-beds, futons and other convertibles
- nursery furniture
- pillows
- scatter cushions, seat pads and bean-bags
- garden furniture suitable for use in a home
- loose and stretch covers for furniture
The Regulations do not apply to:
- sleeping bags
- bed-clothes, including duvets
- loose covers for mattresses
- pillowcases
- curtains or carpets
- furniture manufactured before 1 January 1950
- any furniture the tenant owns and brought to the letting
Applying the Regulations
The Regulations require that:
- furniture and furnishings in accommodation let for the first time since 1 March 1993 must meet all the fire resistance requirements specified in the Regulations
- any new, replacement or additional furniture, including second-hand furniture, provided for an existing letting since 1 March 1993 must comply with the Regulations
- for new tenancies created on or after 1 March 1993, all furniture and furnishings must comply with the Regulations.
The only exemption for furniture manufactured after 1 January 1950 applies in very specific circumstances relating to provision of furniture before 1 March 1993. If you think this exemption may apply, visit Trading Standards or call Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06. For face-to-face advice you can visit Derby City Council's Trading Standards Ofiice, Monday to Friday from 10am to 4pm at the following address:
Trading Standards
Celtic House
First Floor
Friary Street
Heritage Gate
Derby
DE1 1QX
As guidance to identifying furniture these 'rules of thumb' may apply:
- the Regulations were progressively introduced since November 1988 and all domestic furniture made since March 1990 should be fit for use in let accommodation
- the best way to assess compliance may be by looking for a permanent manufacturer's label saying that the item complies with the Regulations together with the warning 'CARELESSNESS CAUSES FIRE'.
This guide is not a full interpretation of the Regulations. Refer to the Regulations 346Kb - for a full statement of the requirements.
Second-hand electrical appliances
The law says that goods supplied to the public must be reasonably safe. Good advice is to have any sort of used electrical equipment examined and checked by a qualified NICEIC registered electrician and record the results.
You should also check the safety of the goods yourself.
- Appliances with a three-core mains lead have wires coloured green and yellow, blue, brown and labelled as earth, neutral and live. Leads colour coded red, green and black are old you should dispose of them immediately. Leads must be secured to the appliance and to the plug by a cord grip. Any mains plug fitted should be of an approved design with sheathed pins.
- Make sure appliances are safe. They should be made to a British, European, or International safety standard.
- Washing machines and spin dryers must have a door interlock to prevent access to the drum while it is spinning.
- All appliances must carry a manufacturer's brand name or trade mark and be supplied with instructions for safe use.
- Make sure that electric heaters are fitted with guards to prevent the heating elements from being touched.
- The Plugs and Sockets etc (Safety) Regulations 1994 17Kb - requires that most electrical appliances intended for domestic use must be supplied pre-fitted with an approved sleeved plug and that the plug is correctly fused.
General Product Safety
All products supplied in let accommodation, as part of the tenancy contract for tenants to use, must comply with the General Product Safety Regulations 1994. These products must be safe for their intended use. Products are defined as goods that are supplied to consumers for their private use and include, for example, clothing, medicines, DIY tools, food and drink, household goods, nursery goods and chemicals. Second-hand products are also covered.
In lettings the most usual products covered would be electrical appliances, furniture and gas appliances (which may also be covered by more specific regulations).
The responsibility imposed by the Regulations may apply to the landlord or to the agent. Who is responsible depends on the capacity in which the agent acts for the landlord. In general, the agent is not responsible provided that the contract for letting the property, including the furniture, is between the owner and the tenant. In this case, the landlord is responsible under the Regulations.
If the agent, acting in the course of their business, enters into a contract with the tenant to let furnished property on behalf of the landlord then the agent would have assumed responsibility for letting the property and complying with the Regulations.
Useful contacts
| Consumer Direct |
01332 716 315 |
| Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) |
0121 248 2000. |
| National Grid (for gas emergencies) |
0800 111 999. |
| NHS Direct (for information and advice about health, illness and health services) |
0845 4647 (this is only an 8-digit number) |
How to contact us
For more information on our services, or to contact us for advice about housing standards, please contact us using the details below, or by using the form at the bottom of this page:
Housing Standards Team,
Housing and Advice Services,
PO Box 6323,
Derby,
DE1 2WW
Telephone: 01332 255 160
Minicom: 01332 255 316
Email: Housing.Standards@derby.gov.uk