A residential landlord has been sent to prison in the first custodial sentence to be given in London under the new fire safety regulations.

Mehmat Parlak was sentenced to four months imprisonment and his company, Watchacre properties limited, was fined £21,000 following conviction for serious breaches of the regulatory reform order (RRO).

The prosecution followed a fatal fire at a flat on Ruskin Road, Tottenham on 16 September 2007. After being saved from the building by firefighters, a man was taken to hospital but died later from his injuries.

Councillor Brian Coleman AM FRSA, Chairman of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority which runs the London Fire Brigade said: “This fire resulted in a man dying and highlights why landlords and businesses must take their responsibilities under the regulatory reform order seriously. The London Fire Brigade works hard to bring irresponsible companies and individuals to court, which can as this case has shown result in a custodial sentence.”

Sentencing of the company and Director Mr Parlak, of Wellington Road, Enfield took place at Wood Green Crown Court on 20 October after he pleaded guilty to eight breaches of fire safety.

The eight summonses were:

1. Failure to make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to which relevant persons were exposed.
2. Failure to make and give effect to appropriate fire safety arrangements.
3. Failure to provide appropriate fire fighting equipment.
4. Failure to provide appropriate fire detection measures, namely adequate smoke alarms in the common parts of the premises.
5. Failure to ensure that routes to emergency exits from the premises and the exits were clear (in relation to the gas fired boiler).
6. Failure to ensure that persons were able to evacuate the premises as quickly and safely as possible, in that the escape route was not properly protected (because the intermescent strip and cold smoke seal were missing from the top edge of the second floor habitable room and there were combustible materials stored in the exit route including a washing machine, television, clothing and furniture).
7. Failure to ensure that there was adequate signage at the premises to indicate the emergency exit and route.
8. Failure to establish and give effect to appropriate procedures to be followed in the event of serious and imminent fire.

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 came into effect on Sunday, 1 October 2006. The legislation makes businesses responsible for carrying out a self assessment of the fire risks in their premises, appoint a competent person and make staff aware of what they have to do in the event of a fire.