A retired estate agent put a vulnerable tenant’s life at risk by ignoring fire safety concerns, a court has heard.

A property management agent and retired estate agent from Dawlish has pleaded guilty to three charges of breaches of fire safety.

David Force appeared at Newton Abbot Magistrates Court on Monday, accused of providing a vulnerable tenant with a property that they would be unable to escape from in the event of a fire.

Force, formerly of Force and Sons, was charged with three fire safety offenses, following concerns raised by business safety officers from Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service in 2021.

The charges were in relation to his property 9 Queen Street, where the ground floor is used as commercial businesses and there is a privately let flat above.

The concerns raised were that the flat, where an elderly person with additional disabilities lived, lacked a suitable means of escape in case of fire, structural failures and a fire risk assessment.

Officers decided that the property was a danger to the tenant and that the person must vacate the property with immediate effect. They feared that the person would be unable to escape if there were to be a fire in the premises.

Following the investigation, the fire service took Force to court, determining that the fire safety standards at the Queen Street property put people at risk of death or serious injury.

The investigation had also found that Force had been aware of the inadequate means of fire escape as early as 2009 but had never made an application to carry out the necessary works.

After pleading guilty earlier this week, Force was ordered to pay full costs to the local authority.

After the prosecution, Glen Wells, business safety legal support officer, commented: “Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service take the safety of people who work, live and visit Devon and Somerset very seriously.

“Fire safety legislation is there for a reason, to ensure that people are safe in buildings should a fire occur and can safely evacuate should they need to do so.

“Where building owners provide accommodation, they must do so with all the required and appropriate fire safety measures in place.

“Where persons responsible for premises know that fire safety measures are poor and dangerous, or they knowingly allow poor fire safety standards, putting profits before safety, they will be held to account.”