Industry News


Fire safety campaign launched following e-bike fire at Salford tower block


S


alix Homes has launched a fire safety campaign following a serious fire at one of its tower blocks sparked by an e-bike battery.


It is urging tenants to be aware of the potential dangers posed by the lithium-ion batteries in e-bikes and e-scooters. It comes aſter a fire at Mulberry Court,


Pendleton, last December, gutted a 10th floor flat at the tower block and resulted in the building being partially evacuated. A report by Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue


Service (GMFRS) concluded the fire was caused by an e-bike battery that had been charging in the bedroom of the property. Stewart Kerr, building safety manager at Salix


Homes, said: “Tankfully no one was injured during the fire at Mulberry Court, but the outcome could have been very different, and we want to warn our residents about the dangers associated with charging the lithium batteries in e-bikes and e-scooters.” “We’ve carried out extensive fire safety


improvements to all our tower blocks in Salford, and fortunately the fire was contained to the flat


where it originated. Te ferocity at which the fire took hold and the damage it caused is quite shocking.” Most e-bikes and e-scooters on the market in


the UK bought from reputable manufacturers meet stringent safety regulations, but many safety issues are arising from converter kits, which are lithium- ion battery packs designed to convert a standard bike to an e-bike. Tere are growing concerns about these


converter kits sold online, which do not meet UK safety regulations and present an increased fire risk. Last year, GMFRS attended 14 fires that had been sparked by e-bikes and e-scooters, an increase from eight in 2021 and three in 2020. GMFRS’s Head of Prevention Area Manager Billy


Fenwick said: “Tis is an incident that could have been a lot worse had firefighters not acted so quickly in controlling and extinguishing the fire, alongside the building’s fire safety measures. “Te fire started due to a faulty lithium-ion


battery pack that was leſt charging. We are urging everyone with an electric bike to please be responsible and follow our safety guidance.


Last year, GMFRS attended 14 fires that had been sparked by e-bikes and e-scooters, an increase from eight in 2021


Batteries can be a fire risk if they’re over-charged, short circuited, or damaged, so it’s important to protect them against being damaged and to charge them safely.” “It’s also really important that when buying


an electric bike, purchase them – as well as the batteries and chargers – from a reputable seller. It’s the same if you are buying a kit to convert your normal bike to an electric one; buy from a reputable seller and check that it complies with British or European standards.” As part of the e-bike safety campaign, Salix


Homes has now issued safety advice for residents, which includes: • Never charge your electric bikes or scooters while you’re sleeping or not at home;


• Unplug your charger once it’s finished charging; • Never block your escape route with your e-bike or scooter;


• Never tamper with the battery and always follow the manufacturer’s instructions;


• Ensure your battery and charger meets UK safety standards and always use the correct charger;


• Never cover your charger as this could lead to it overheating or setting on fire;


• Be wary of DIY kits bought on-line to convert a standard bike into an e-bike.


Older private sector landlords are ‘retiring’ in their droves and not being replaced


Around 140,000 buy-to-let landlords ‘retired’ from the lettings business last year, according to the estate agency Hamptons, accounting for almost three quarters of all property sales by investors. It says this figure is likely to continue rising over


coming years, with around 96,000 landlords turning 65 each year across the UK. Te latest Government survey of landlords put the age of the average buy- to-let investor at 59, with just 15% under the age of 45. It is predominantly these older investors who are


leaving the rental market, according to Hamptons, many of which were early adopters of the first


buy-to-let mortgages launched in 1996. Tis means many purchases were made by these landlords 15 to 25 years ago, and they still make up the majority of privately rented homes in the UK. Hamptons estimates that just over half of today’s


outstanding buy-to-let mortgages were taken out between 1996 and 2007. Tis cohort of ageing investors bought when the sector was growing rapidly and they are now increasingly likely to sell up and cash out. Almost half of homes (45%) sold by landlords


so far in 2023 were bought at least 15 years ago, a figure which has risen each year since 2018 when it stood at just one third. Tis proportion is likely to continue rising as


more landlords reach retirement having bought their buy-to-let a couple of decades ago, leaving behind a gap which is not being filled by new, younger landlords entering the sector. Tis is because today’s new landlords are


unlikely to make as much of a profit as their predecessors. On top of a wave of unfavourable tax and regulation that has hit hit the sector since 2016, higher mortgage rates are now also dragging down landlords’ profit margins. Te average two-year fixed rate mortgage for a


16 | HMMJune/July 2023 | www.housingmmonline.co.uk


landlord has risen from 3% to 5.62% over the past two years. On a £200,000 interest-only mortgage, that has pushed payments up from £500 to £937 a month. Add that to a 3% stamp duty surcharge when


buying a second property, not being able to fully offset mortgage interest payments against income tax on rent and higher capital gains tax bills, and there is not much appeal for many at present. Aneisha Beveridge, head of research at


Hamptons, said: “Two decades on from the birth of buy-to-let mortgages in the late 1990s, early investors are starting to sell up. Demographics alone will push up the number of landlord sales over the next five years to reach a new peak. “Tis was likely to happen irrespective of the tax


or regulatory changes introduced since 2016, and the more recent higher interest rate environment. While the tax and regulatory changes haven’t


driven a buy-to-let sell off, they have stemmed the next generation of landlords. “Te number of new purchases by landlords has


remained relatively muted. Millennials, who have struggled to get onto the housing ladder, have not been in a position to afford or consider purchasing a buy-to-let too.”


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