A property company has been ordered to pay more than £250,000 after it failed to install a fire alarm system in a block of flats on time, as an improvement notice required.
At Birmingham Magistrates' Court on Friday 16 October 2026, Middlesex-based real estate firm Avamore Ltd was fined £240,000 and ordered to pay a £2,000 victim surcharge and £9,153.30 in prosecution costs. The company had pleaded guilty in May 2026 to failing to comply with the notice.
According to local press reports, the improvement notice was served in May 2025. It required an NFCC L5 fire alarm system to be installed in Block A, the tallest of the three blocks at Solihull Heights on Coventry Road, which is home to around 160 residents. The work was due by November 2025, but was completed around six months late. The other two blocks were finished on time.
The court heard that the company stopped communicating with Birmingham City Council housing officers before the deadline, and that no extension or amendment to the notice was sought. The defence said the delay was not deliberate, blaming contractor problems and difficulty getting into three flats. Sentencing the company, District Judge David Wain said it "had the assets to undertake the work and had the time to do so", and that there was "no explanation" for the failure to complete it on time.
What this means for you
This case is not about a fire. Nobody was hurt. The company was prosecuted because it missed a deadline it had been formally given, and the court took that very seriously.
That should focus minds for anyone responsible for residential buildings: private landlords, managing agents, freeholders, housing associations and local authority landlords, as well as operators of supported housing and HMOs.
Reports don't name the legislation used. Improvement notices served by council housing teams are normally issued under Part 1 of the Housing Act 2004. Under section 30 of that Act, failing to comply with an operative improvement notice is a criminal offence, and the duty to do the work continues after the deadline has passed. The only defence is a "reasonable excuse". In this case the defence accepted that the delays were not a reasonable excuse.
Fire safety enforcement is also increasing on the fire service side. MHCLG's fire prevention and protection statistics, published on 2 September 2026, show that fire and rescue services in England issued 1,224 prohibition notices in the year to March 2026. That is up 27% on the previous year. Around 40% of the 50,195 fire safety audits completed had an unsatisfactory outcome.
Practical takeaways
From my experience as a fire risk assessor, these are the lessons that matter most:
- Treat every notice deadline as fixed. Put it in your compliance calendar the day the notice arrives, and work backwards to set dates for surveys, contractor orders and installation.
- Keep talking to the enforcing authority. In this case, silence before the deadline counted against the company. If you are struggling, say so early and in writing.
- If you can't meet the deadline, ask for more time before it passes. Don't just let it lapse. The prosecution highlighted that no extension or amendment was sought.
- Plan for access problems from the start. Getting into flats is a familiar obstacle. Keep a record of every letter, visit and appointment offered to residents, and use your tenancy access rights.
- Keep evidence of the work. The prosecution said it had not seen evidence of the work. Commissioning certificates, photographs and contractor reports protect you.
- Know what your building needs. Fire detection in blocks of flats should be based on a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment of the building and its occupants, not guesswork.
- Review your fire risk assessment after any notice. Make sure the assessment, the action plan and the works are all consistent with each other.
How Obelisk Fire Safety can help
Obelisk Fire Safety carries out fire risk assessments for blocks of flats, HMOs and supported housing to BS 9792:2025, and for other premises to PAS 79-1:2020. We also carry out fire door inspections and surveys. We give you a clear, prioritised action plan you can work through and evidence. If you have received a notice, or want to make sure you never do, get in touch.
We cover the whole of the UK, with a focus on the East Midlands and surrounding areas.
Email: info@obeliskfire.co.uk
Phone: 07407 156178
This article is for general information and does not constitute legal advice.
Sources
- Express & Star – West Midlands company fined £240k for fire failures (18 October 2026)
- Black Country Radio (LDRS) – Company fined £250k for fire failures
- Express & Star – West Midlands apartment block left without fire protection (24 May 2026)
- legislation.gov.uk – Housing Act 2004, section 30
- GOV.UK (MHCLG) – Fire prevention and protection statistics, England, April 2025 to March 2026 (2 September 2026)