Is this a fire hazard?

Question

i live in a studio basement apt, this apt has a back door that has been locked by the landlord whom which i discussed that i am concerned about my safety. he claims he wont unlock it because he thinks this leaves an easy way for burglars to get in which makes no sense to me for 2 reasons, there is a second lock on the screen door that would prevent that AND locked or unlocked that still wont stop any burglar. guys do you think the landlord is right for leaving the door locked or you guys think i should fight harder to have him open it?

thank u in advance.

? · Accepted Answer

Per federal law, any apartment building must have fire escapes accessible to the tenants.  If this apartment room that you live in has a direct access back door like you described, then by law it must be accessible for you to use in case of emergency. Even if this door is in a common hallway, by law there should be a form of egress to allow people to exit in emergency.  The door can be fitted so there is no handle on the outside, yet there is a crash bar hooked up to an audible alarm so if the door is opened from the inside, it will sound an alarm until the unit is resetted by a key.  Please politely inform your landlord that by having this egress door locked it is in violation of federal, state, and local fire codes.  Let him know that there are different types of latches for this door to keep it secure yet still allow emergency egress.  If he still will not comply, then notify your local (city) or state fire marshal of the situation.

Polar Bear · Answer

Does it pose a fire hazard? No.  It does pose a barrier in case of fire.Your landlord must provide multiple avenues of escape in case of fire. 
Contact your local fire department for a free fire safety inspection.

Call your landlord and tell him the fire marshal will be paying him a visit...... 

Over and above that, YOU lease the space. Its your call on whether or not its locked and/or sealed.

Audie · Answer

it needs to be locked from the inside so that you have an escape route in case of fire. one way to convience himis to offer to pay for the work required to make the door secured on the inside. locks only keep honest people honest. a thief will cut the outside lock off in a heart beat. if he fails to accomodate you call the fire marshall and they will order him to make an escape route in order for him to rent the appartment. the landlord is required to have working fire alarms in his house if part of it is a rented  apartment.

YouCantSeeME · Answer

d

Trending News

Is this a fire hazard?

4 Answers