Smoke alarm requirement in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: Owners can face fines

11/11/2016 – 09:15

Smoke alarms save lives

Berlin (ots)

In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, many landlords are unsure. The reason: On 30.10. On December 31, 2015, changes to the state building regulations came into force. They relate to equipping existing living space with life-saving smoke alarms. While there used to be a parallel obligation for tenants and landlords, now only the owner is legally responsible. If the obligation is not fulfilled, the building supervisory authority can impose a fine of up to EUR 500,000 on him. The "Smoke detectors save lives" initiative explains the background and effects on:

"Until the change in building regulations, tenants as direct owners and at the same time owners as indirect owners were responsible for retrofitting existing apartments with smoke alarm devices. The special feature: Only one of the two parties was actually able to fulfill their obligation - depending on which one became active first . For the other, however, it continued to apply latently. If the tenant did not fulfill his obligation or took his detector with him when he moved out, the owner could not remain idle," explains Christian Rudolph, chairman of the "Smoke detectors save lives" initiative and adds: " Since the change in the state building regulations, only the owner is responsible. For the first time in a federal state, the owner who has remained inactive can also be fined."

This obligation of the owner applies to the building supervision independently of individually agreed contracts between landlord and tenant, i.e. even if it has been contractually stipulated that the tenant assumes the legal obligation for equipment and maintenance.

Especially when a tenant who owns the smoke alarm devices in the apartment moves out, there is an urgent need for action for the landlord. The owner should either buy the smoke alarms from their tenant or install new ones immediately if the tenant insists on taking their smoke alarms with them.

By the way, the owner is also obliged to equip his self-used living space with smoke detectors, i.e. the obligation to equip this does not only apply to landlords. The insurance industry, for example, points out that according to its regulations, the legal requirements must be observed.

In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, smoke detectors have been mandatory for new buildings and conversions since 2006. This has applied to existing buildings since the end of 2009. According to state building regulations, all children's and bedrooms as well as adjacent corridors that lead to escape routes from common rooms must be equipped with smoke detectors. Other devices should ideally be installed in rooms such as the living room, guest room and study, as the risk of fire is particularly high here. The kitchen and bathroom are excluded.

Free press photos at: www.rauchmelder-lebensretter.de/presse/fotos/

Press contact:

Forum Fire Smoke Prevention e.V."Smoke detectors save lives"Claudia GroetschelTel.: 030/44 02 01 30redaktion@rauchmelder-lebensretter.de

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