Philip Sheridan
20 Jan 2021 · Coroner Kevin McLoughlin · West Yorkshire (East)
The coroner's concerns
1. lack of planning consent building regulation approval and inspection
“He was a 'person in control' of the cellar flat within the meaning defined in the Housing Act 2004. He and/or were involved in the management of other properties in the Leeds area in the period 2013-2019. He or they should have been aware that the cellar flat did not have planning consent, Building Regulation Approval and had not been inspected by Leeds City Council Housing Officers. The evidence taken at the Inquest gave rise to a concern on the balance of probability that the hazards identified”
2. absence of smoke alarm
“There was no smoke alarm in the cellar flat at the time of the fire on 26 June 2019”
3. lack of periodic checks of smoke and carbon monoxide alarms
“am concerned that the laudable statutory objective enshrined in The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015 is undermined if a landlord is not required to check periodically such devises are still effective”