In-court
Airbnb ‘deathtrap’ lands woman with £6k fine & suspended sentence
A woman who advertised a ‘deathtrap’ holiday home on Airbnb has been handed a six-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months and told to pay nearly £6,000 in fines.
The property, belonging to a Jean Hendy, breached fire regulations with:
- toxic tiles
- no emergency lighting
- the wrong locks
- a fire extinguisher that hadn’t been tested in 15 years.
Hendy also failed to put batteries in the smoke alarms of the three-storey house, and didn’t take action when she was warned by council officers.
Judge Ian Lawrie told her: “You have created the risk of a potential deathtrap if fire ever broke out.
“Whenever you rent out a property in whatever circumstances there is a clear obligation to ensure the fire safety of everyone. There is certainly a risk of cost-cutting at the expense of safety.”
Public complaint
The court heard that officers from Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service inspected the property in August last year following a complaint from a member of the public.
Hendy occupied the ground floor and advertised the use of the upper floors on a number of recognised holiday hosting websites, offering sleeping accommodation for up to nine people.
Group Manager Paul Bray, business safety manager for Devon & Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, said after the case: “Anyone who has or is thinking of turning their home into a business providing sleeping accommodation has a duty to ensure the people staying on their premises will be kept safe.”
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Airbnb ‘deathtrap’ lands woman with £6k fine & suspended sentence
Fire safety concerns in three-storey house for property on popular listings sites.
Alison Fava
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No excuse, the amount of information out there for businesses is saturated, no excuse Mrs
The amount of guidance and information out there is massive, no excuse Mrs ! 6K got off lightly