Furniture Safety
All furniture and furnishings supplied in let accommodation
must comply with The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety)
Regulations 1988 (as amended). Responsibility under these
Regulations falls to whomever the tenant enters into a contract
with, and can apply to landlords, estate agents and letting
agents.
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 aim to phase
out potentially dangerous furniture and furnishings ensuring that
all furniture provided can pass tests for fire safety.
Furniture and Furnishings affected:
These products are covered by the Regulations:
- Furniture intended for use in a home - for example armchairs, sofas, padded seats
- Beds, headboards 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
- Bedclothes, 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:
- 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.
Identifying Furniture
As guidance these 'rules of thumb' may apply:
- The Regulations were progressively introduced from November 1988 and all domestic furniture made after March 1990 should be fit for use in let accommodation.
- The best way to assess compliance is to look for a manufacturer's permanent label that states the item complies with the Regulations, together with the warning 'CARELESSNESS CAUSES FIRE'.
This advice is not a full interpretation of the Regulations. Please refer to the Regulations for a full statement of the requirements.