East Sussex Fire Authority has prosecuted a managing agent and his company after they allegedly failed to respond to fire safety correspondence and did not provide required information. The case followed a fire in Hastings where residents were trapped and fire officers later identified multiple fire safety deficiencies at the property.
A witness in the Higgins Homes fatal lift case has denied fabricating his account of a crane incident that led to the death of a pedestrian in Bow, east London. The court heard conflicting evidence about whether the pallet of bricks struck scaffolding, how the load was secured, and who was responsible for the lift setup.
The article reports on a trial concerning a fatal incident at a Higgins Homes construction site, where a pallet of bricks fell and killed a pedestrian. A self-employed slinger working for a subcontractor described trying to stop the load before it struck a scaffolding pole and fell.
A landlord in Wirral has been fined after admitting to eight years without annual gas safety checks at a rented home occupied by a tenant and her children. The Health and Safety Executive brought the prosecution under Regulation 36(3) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, and the court imposed a fine and costs.
A landlord in Cardiff was fined after pleading guilty to multiple offences, including allowing flats to be occupied despite Prohibition Orders, failing to register the rented property, and managing it without the required licence. Inspectors also identified a range of hazards at the property, including fire safety defects, damp, trip hazards and concerns about the flat layout.
The Environment Agency has partially suspended an environmental permit at a waste site in Little Hulton, Salford, after a rise in complaints about foul odours. The operator must stop certain waste activities in the affected area, remove waste by 13 November, and implement odour monitoring and control measures.
A landlord has been fined after pleading guilty to breaching gas safety regulations by failing to arrange annual gas safety checks at a rented home in Wirral for eight years. The case followed an HSE investigation prompted by a concern from Wirral council and involved a tenant living with five children.
The Upper Tribunal Administrative Appeals Chamber upheld a Disclosure and Barring Service decision, finding no material mistake of fact and no error of law in concluding that inclusion on the adults’ barred list was proportionate. The decision was issued by Judge Johnston on 18 September 2026 in relation to case UA-2025-000980-V.
The government has launched a consultation on extending Awaab’s Law to private rented homes, with the aim of imposing legal deadlines for fixing severe damp and mould in the private sector. The proposals could also be expanded in future to temporary accommodation, supported housing and accommodation for care leavers, with the consultation open until 18 December 2026.
A landlord in Chester-le-Street has been fined after a vulnerable household, including a mother with a newborn baby and a disabled child, was left in a property with damp and mould, no heating or hot water, and electrical and carbon monoxide hazards. Durham council took enforcement action after repeated failures to complete repairs and after the landlord also failed to obtain selective licences for multiple properties.
safeagent has backed the proposed extension of Awaab’s Law into the private rented sector, while stressing that any new duties must be supported by effective enforcement. The government is also consulting on whether the law should apply to certain licence-based accommodation, including supported housing, temporary accommodation and care leaver accommodation.
A landlord was fined £28,500 after a property occupied by a vulnerable household was found to have serious disrepair, including damp and mould, no heating or hot water, and electrical hazards. The case involved enforcement action by Durham County Council, including an improvement notice and prosecution for failure to obtain selective licences for multiple properties.
