FIRE SAFTEY & FURNISHINGS

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Fire safety of upholstered furniture

All upholstered furniture which is included in the letting or hiring out of residential accommodation must comply with the requirements of the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire Safety) Regulations 1988 (As Amended in 1989 and 1993).

The regulations require:

• Furniture to pass a cigarette resistance test
• Cover fabric, whether for use in permanent or loose covers, to pass a match resistance test
• Filling materials for all furniture to pass ignitability tests as specified in the regulations

These regulations apply to any of the following that contain upholstery:

• Beds, headboards , mattresses , sofa beds, futons, convertibles
• Garden furniture which is suitable for use in a dwelling
• Scatter cushions, seat pads and pillows
• Loose and stretch covers for furniture
  

These regulations do not apply to:

• Sleeping bags
• Loose covers for mattresses
• Pillowcases
• Curtains
• Carpets
• Furniture manufactured before 1950

All new furniture (except for mattresses, bed bases, loose and stretch covers) manufactured since 1988 has been required to carry a permanent label providing information about its fire retarding properties.

What are the responsibilities of Landlords and Agents?

The Local Authority Trading Standards Unit enforces this legislation. The responsibility imposed by the regulations applies to the actual supplier of furniture, if that supplier is acting in the course of his business. For a residential furnished let this may be either the landlord or his agent (source: DTI. Guide to the regulations).