A Glasgow landlord has been refused an HMO licence after allegedly rejecting repair quotes from their letting agent despite serious fire safety concerns.
Glasgow City Council’s licensing committee rejected Anna McMullan’s application to renew the licence for a flat in Sauchiehall Street.
A Glasgow landlord has lost an HMO licence after failing to address serious fire safety concerns, despite receiving repair quotes from their letting agent.
Glasgow City Council’s licensing committee rejected Anna McMullan’s application to renew the licence for a flat in Sauchiehall Street.
The council’s HMO team and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service inspected the property and identified multiple safety problems. Five tenants occupied the flat.
Crucially, the letting agent told the committee that it had previously sent the landlord several quotes for remedial work. The landlord rejected them.
Firefighters first inspected the property in February. They found that some fire doors did not close properly, while various items obstructed escape routes.
Inspectors also found candles, door wedges and coat hangers attached to fire doors. They identified excessive amounts of combustible material in utility and shower rooms.
In addition, tenants had not received fire safety information. The landlord had not provided an electrical installation condition report, while inspectors also found holes in walls and ceilings.
Problems remained months later
A second inspection in September found that several problems remained.
Dust or grease covered extraction fans, while some fire doors still failed to close properly. Inspectors also identified excessive gaps beneath doors.
The letting agent told councillors that contractors had since visited to quote for the necessary work. The agency has also increased the frequency of its HMO inspections.
However, committee chairman Alex Wilson questioned why the property had tenants despite the outstanding safety concerns.
He told the agent: “You’ve put tenants into a property that’s not safe.”
Wilson said inspectors had “highlighted a huge number of deficiencies” during the February visit. A significant number remained unresolved in September.
“All of these should have been rectified,” he added.
The committee heard that the original tenants left in May. New tenants then moved into the property in August.
The letting agent said it believed “all of the deficiencies” had been addressed before their arrival.
However, the fire service declined to approve the HMO licence application.
Wilson said there had been a “substantial amount of alarm bells ringing” over the property’s safety.
The licensing committee subsequently rejected the landlord’s application to renew the HMO licence.
