Recurring concern

Unreliable safety audits of holiday and rented accommodation

First to latest report 18 Sep 2015 — 26 Jul 2022

Reports that mention this concern: 2
Times this concern has been raised: 3
Stated actions linked to this concern: 0

What this concern includes

Includes failures to conduct, scope, qualify, document or act on periodic or pre-licensing safety audits of holiday lets, hotels, apartments, rented homes or comparable accommodation premises where the audit is intended to identify risks affecting occupants or guests.

What is not included

Excludes generic organisational, clinical, workplace or public-infrastructure audits that are not specifically concerned with accommodation-premises safety.
Excludes failures in repairing or maintaining an identified accommodation hazard where no deficiency in the audit or safety-assurance process is asserted.
Excludes neutral regulatory or licensing arrangements where no accommodation-safety audit or inspection deficiency is identified.
Excludes audits limited to a named specialist hazard, such as fire safety, where that hazard-specific audit process is the supported concern.

Trends

Reports over time

Reports mentioning this concern, over time

Reports about this concern issued each year.

* 2026 is projected from reports observed to 7 Sep 2026.

Most frequent recipients

Reports about this concern sent to each recipient.

ABTA Ltd1

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport1

Department of Trade and Industry1

Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office1

Louis Corcyra Beach Hotel1

Louis Group1

Oldham Borough Council1

Thomas Cook Group plc1

Reports and published responses 2 reports

See individual reports that have raised this concern, and the actions taken in response

26 Jul2022
Manchester North
Concerns raised1
1. Granting landlord licences without prior audits of premises
This report raised 5 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked response

Oldham Borough Council
Respondent positions 2
1. Oldham Borough Council
  The Council cannot advise or check privately rented properties outside its selective licensing scheme or properties it does not visit.
  Unable to act
1. Oldham Borough Council
  National legislative intervention to address blind-cord safety across privately rented properties is a matter for the Government.
  Redirects responsibility
AI-generated summary

Kane Thomas Harley Davidson · Prevention of Future Deaths report

This summary was generated using AI from the published report. Please read the original report for the complete account.

Report summary

Kane Thomas Harley Davidson was found unresponsive at his family home on 28 January 2022 and died on 1 February 2022 after suffering extensive widespread diffuse hypoxia pattern of ischaemic brain injury. The report identified concerns about the licensing and inspection of privately rented properties, including inadequate assessment and enforcement of risks from non-compliant internal window blinds and unclear information provided to tenants and landlords.

Read the report on judiciary.uk
Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation
Granting landlord licences without prior audits of premises
Wider context from the report
“2. The resultant application process culminates in the grant of a license without any prior audit of the landlord's premises. ”
Source location
Kane Thomas Harley Davidson · Prevention of Future Deaths report
Page 2 · concerns
Open source report
Source evidence

How this respondent position was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation
The Council cannot advise or check privately rented properties outside its selective licensing scheme or properties it does not visit.

Verbatim wording from the response
“The selective licensing scheme doesn't require the Council to carry out an audit of every property that is licensed and the scheme only covers a percentage of privately rented properties in Oldham, therefore there will be many more privately rented properties that the Council is unaware of and therefore won't be able to give advice on blind cord safety or check that they comply. There are also a large number of Local Authorities that do not have a licensing scheme in their locality making tackling this issue potentially national issue in the privately rented sector. Can I suggest that as part of your considerations it should be highlighted to the Government's Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUCH) the dangers and inconsistency across the Country without national legislative intervention.”

Source location
Response from Oldham Council
Page 1 · response
Published 28 September 2022
Open published response
Source evidence

How this respondent position was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation
National legislative intervention to address blind-cord safety across privately rented properties is a matter for the Government.

Verbatim wording from the response
“The selective licensing scheme doesn't require the Council to carry out an audit of every property that is licensed and the scheme only covers a percentage of privately rented properties in Oldham, therefore there will be many more privately rented properties that the Council is unaware of and therefore won't be able to give advice on blind cord safety or check that they comply. There are also a large number of Local Authorities that do not have a licensing scheme in their locality making tackling this issue potentially national issue in the privately rented sector. Can I suggest that as part of your considerations it should be highlighted to the Government's Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUCH) the dangers and inconsistency across the Country without national legislative intervention.”

Source location
Response from Oldham Council
Page 1 · response
Published 28 September 2022
Open published response
18 Sep2015
West Yorkshire (East)
Concerns raised2
1. Lack of suitably qualified specialist health and safety inspections at holiday accommodation
2. Failure to carry out annual accommodation safety audits
This report raised 8 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
No linked response statements
No respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
AI-generated summary

Christianne Shepherd and Robert Shepherd · Prevention of Future Deaths report

This summary was generated using AI from the published report. Please read the original report for the complete account.

Report summary

Christianne and Robert Shepherd died from carbon monoxide poisoning while staying with their family in holiday accommodation on Corfu in October 2006. The report identified a badly installed and maintained LPG water heater, disconnected safety devices, defective building and piping, and concerns about inadequate tour-operator and hotel health and safety checks. It also raised wider concerns about carbon monoxide safety standards and information for holidaymakers.

Read the report on judiciary.uk
Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation
Lack of suitably qualified specialist health and safety inspections at holiday accommodation
Wider context from the report
“4. The responsibility for Health and Safety checks should not be delegated to Tour Representatives who are often inexperienced and over worked and will lack the time, knowledge and commitment to carry out this task. The responsibility for this should be by suitably qualified specialists in Health and Safety. Furthermore, and where appropriate, this should include suitably qualified and experienced specialists, in particular experts of Health and Safety, e.g. gas safety. Such specialists should visit the relevant accommodation and carry out full and detailed Health and Safety checks, the reports from which should be publically accessible. In organisations that do not have suitable in-house personnel for this purpose then suitably qualified and experienced Consultants should be instructed. ”
Source location
Christianne Shepherd and Robert Shepherd · Prevention of Future Deaths report
Page 3 · concerns
Open source report
Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation
Failure to carry out annual accommodation safety audits
Wider context from the report
“1. An on-line and publically accessible Central Register should be introduced to compel all Tour Operators to record and maintain up-to-date information relating to energy sources and the annual service history for all hotels, apartments and holiday premises used by Tour Operators. This information and the entries recorded on the Central Register should be taken from a form completed by the Tour Operator at the time of contracting with the hotelier or other holiday premises provider. The Tour Operator must carry out an audit at least once in a 12 month period. ”
Source location
Christianne Shepherd and Robert Shepherd · Prevention of Future Deaths report
Page 2 · concerns
Open source report