Do balconies present a fire risk?
If you own a property with balconies, it’s essential to stay up to date with safety regulations and fire safety. Our building surveyors in Kent are here to help point you in the right direction. We can help you with the following services: building surveys and schedules of condition.
To stay up to date with the latest regulations, take a look at the Government report on building and fire safety in properties with balconies. It’s particularly important for owners of multi-storey, multi-occupied residential buildings. If you rent a flat with a balcony, you may want to take a look too.
The Grenfell Tower tragedy in June 2017 raised many questions about fire safety in multi-storey, apartments and flats. One outcome of the first phase was the publication of “Advice for Building Owners of Multi-storey, Multi-occupied Residential Buildings” by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in January 2020. This contained advice for owners and occupiers of such buildings about internal and external fire spread. If you are an owner of any such building, we recommend taking a look at this document. Though all of it is vital information, we think the section on balconies might be particularly important.
The term “multi-storey” implies high rise, and the initial focus of the panel who produced this report was buildings over 18m in height. However, when considering regulations and how building height is measured, the report noted: ‘External walls of buildings, of any height, should not assist the spread of fire’. This means that it’s not just buildings over 18m high that we should be concerned with.
Do I need to remove or change my balcony?
Do the buildings or flats that you manage have balconies? Depending on how these are constructed, they present a potential source of rapid fire spread on the outside of buildings. Owners must understand what they are constructed of in order to better grasp the associated risk of external fire spread. This will assist with risk management and prevention.
In the aforementioned report, the expert panel concluded that ‘the removal and replacement of any combustible material used in balcony construction is the clearest way to prevent external fire spread from balconies and therefore to meet the intention of building regulation requirements.’ They stated that this should be done as soon as is practical.
Consider what your balconies constructed from. If they are wooden or have timber decking set on a steel framework, then they are likely to present a risk.
What is the risk of a fire on a balcony?
When summer season approaches, freeholders may wish to consider the terms for their leaseholders. Do your tenants know that having a barbecue on a balcony is a high risk, for example? In May 2018, London Fire Brigade issued a warning to people who might be considering a barbecue on their balcony during the bank holiday. This warning is still relevant today.
The government report stated that many fires that begin on balconies have led to an external fire spread. However, it’s not just the small barbecue that could present a problem. It’s a burning cigarette, an ashtray, mosquito candles, and even fire pit sparks. A balcony fire in Erith was caused by a cigarette end in 2018, and more recently in January 2020, a fire in a flat in Thamesmead was believed to have started on the balcony.
All property managers should be aware of the risks caused by fires on balconies.
Partition walls and trellises
Building owners and managers should also be aware of the materials used in the partitions between balconies which can cause fire spread. However prudent you are in ensuring the right materials have been used, did your tenant consider this before adding a trellis for their sweet peas or adding a roll out bamboo fence? Building owners should ensure this is covered in their property inspections – are tenants allowed to install trellis for example? And if so, is this wise?
Can I use my balcony for storage?
What percentage of the balconies on your property do you think are used as storage, and have you considered the associated fire risk? You may have existing policies in place as to what can and cannot be stored and used on balconies by residents, but it could be wise to review these and communicate with residents to develop their understanding of the risks.
Get in touch with our surveyors at Collier Stevens for expertise
Navigating fire safety can be difficult. At Collier Stevens, our surveyors in Kent and London can help make this information more digestible. Get in touch to see how we can support you.
Steven Way
Steven Way BSc MIHEEM MFPWS MRICS is the Practice Principal and is a Chartered Building Surveyor. With over 35 years as a practicing surveyor, Steve has a wealth of experience and expertise in both residential and commercial building surveying, party wall advice and disabled access auditing. He has also built his reputation as an expert witness.