investor68
25-08-2006, 07:38 AM
Hello,
This is my first visit and first post to this site. I'm sure I will be visiting it extremely regularly over the coming months..!
I am in the process of buying a first floor flat to let out. Have just had the survey report back. It says that because there are bare floorboards which have not been overboarded this represents a fire risk. It recommends that the floorboards are overboarded with thin ply wood to provide compartmentalisation and fire safety between the ground and first floor flat. The surveyor said that at the moment it's a fire hazard and that I may not find insurance because of it which really worries me.
It also recommends that I take advice on fire safety. Where can I get this from? is it possible to ask for someone from a local fire station to come down and inspect and advise? If so is there a charge for this. As it is a first floor maisonette I don't think there's much else I can do to it, apart from installing smoke alarms - any advice on this area?
This is a purpose built maisonette by the way, with its own separate entrance.
I spoke to my builder yesterday about the flooring and he thought the advice to overboard with thin ply wood was strange and that ply wood would just add to a fire if there were one! Plus he tells me that if I did do this he would have to alter the doors etc because of the different floor height.
Can anyone shed any more light on this - whether it's common - whether I should get this done?
I thought bare floorboards were all the rage now!! If what the surveyor says is true then how does everyone else get insurance?
Thanks in advance for any advice.
This is my first visit and first post to this site. I'm sure I will be visiting it extremely regularly over the coming months..!
I am in the process of buying a first floor flat to let out. Have just had the survey report back. It says that because there are bare floorboards which have not been overboarded this represents a fire risk. It recommends that the floorboards are overboarded with thin ply wood to provide compartmentalisation and fire safety between the ground and first floor flat. The surveyor said that at the moment it's a fire hazard and that I may not find insurance because of it which really worries me.
It also recommends that I take advice on fire safety. Where can I get this from? is it possible to ask for someone from a local fire station to come down and inspect and advise? If so is there a charge for this. As it is a first floor maisonette I don't think there's much else I can do to it, apart from installing smoke alarms - any advice on this area?
This is a purpose built maisonette by the way, with its own separate entrance.
I spoke to my builder yesterday about the flooring and he thought the advice to overboard with thin ply wood was strange and that ply wood would just add to a fire if there were one! Plus he tells me that if I did do this he would have to alter the doors etc because of the different floor height.
Can anyone shed any more light on this - whether it's common - whether I should get this done?
I thought bare floorboards were all the rage now!! If what the surveyor says is true then how does everyone else get insurance?
Thanks in advance for any advice.