On a BBC programme this morning one of those self styled "experts" ,when looking at a property that was going under the hammer ,commented on it having polystyrene tiles on the ceiling and mentioned them being a fire hazard and illegal .Fire hazard I can accept,as well as being pretty distasteful things now but ARE they illegal .
Stuart
AFAIK and IANAL
Short answer NO not illegal.
Old tiles give off poisonous fumes under combustion Modern tiles also do this but have a fire retardent element.
There is no visual difference.
A fire officer would require their removal (old or new) for a house in multiple occupancy and our local inspector would require their removal in a rented property. Note that the council require fire inspection on these properties due to a number of house fires over the last few years.
Check with your local council and fire safety officer.
I agree that they are in no way illegal, but can the fire officer insist on their removal or just recommend?
The tiles are sold as self-extinguishing and if they are sold as safe and suitable by the manufacturer, then why should they not be allowed?
What about blown wallpaper which is similar, or gloss paint or one of a number of other things.
I agree they are a concern, but more for smoke than flame and they do not cause the fire to spread.
dg
They should be............
If the tiles are suitable for normal occupancy, then why should they be banned for a rental. I know of no fire regs that discriminate against, or for a particular type of resident.
Because the risk of fire, and death from fire, is significantly greater in some types of occupancy, specifically in Houses of Multiple Occupation. At least in Scotland, HMO licencing applications are subject to approval by the Fire Brigade and if the Brigade says "polystyrene tiles unacceptable" then that's the licence withheld. (From April I think we have licencing of *all* landlords, but less stringently than that for HMO.)
Owain
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