2712 house fire regs!

Ben, I'm sorry about your fire, I can't help with specifics, but am sure someone can help, however, in the short term, you need to enquire in your comune, they should have a technical officer who will advise on the inspections necessary and re check with your geometra and whoever told you the house was uninhabitable, sorry I can't be more help, good luck.

Welcome to the forum, sorry to read about your House fire!!!!!!!! Hope someone here can answer your questions and life gets sorted out quickly for you.

How awful for you - I hope you weren`t in the house at the time. I`m afraid I can`t help either but I`m wondering what caused the fire. Was it dodgy electrics or an open fire? I`m interested because I know the furniture regs. are not as stringent here as in the UK and it occurs to me that we don`t have any smoke detectors here in our house whereas, in the UK, we were pretty obsessive about them, having young children. Have other people got smoke detectors here in Italy? We`re just about to move into a new villa (brand new) and nobody has mentioned them. This is a timely warning.

we have smoke detectors in Italy but had to get battery ones as we switch the electric off when we leave so could not have the electric type we have in the uk. You just need to remember to test them when you arive.
Pamela

i have stayed in a few houses in italy-holiday rentals, and none of them had working smoke detectors(one had them but i assume the batteries were dead as they did not work).i now take a small portable smoke detector with me .

[QUOTE=The Smiths in Puglia]it occurs to me that we don`t have any smoke detectors here in our house whereas, in the UK, we were pretty obsessive about them, having young children. Have other people got smoke detectors here in Italy? We`re just about to move into a new villa (brand new) and nobody has mentioned them. [/QUOTE]

We have fitted battery operated smoke detectors, we actually brought them back from the UK as when we checked out the Italian ones they were ridiculously expensive, between E50 -E70 each for the simple battery ones!!! We also have to have two fire extinguishers, when we first had the gas (GPL, so large buried tank outside) central heating fitted the fire brigade came to check that all was well and to check that we did have fire extinguishers. They have to be serviced every so often. Hopefully we will never need any of it, but with young children in the house we feel it is essential. We also intend to get a CO monitor, but as the boiler is brand new this, theoretically at least, is less urgent.

Benm, sorry to hear of your fire, I hope all works out well. Again, I would be interseted to know the cause - forewarned is forearmed!

[QUOTE=benm]Hi all!

Recently had a house fire in my property,which is old and stone built.

Lost the kitchen,and room above it! roof too...

Apparently the reconstruction must take place without me being able to live in the house,as its now considered uninhabitable,as the kitchen has to be re-done and then inspected-this is the odd part,the inspection is supposed to be very stringent,suitable for hospitals or restaurants at least,but not an older style property surely?

i.e. no pets indoors and such!

Have i been misguided? what are the post fire procedures?

They have even offered a comunal house,perhaps realising i have too many pets to just up and go to relatives in England!

Thanks for any help,i need some idea of the rules and regs and whether or not i can still stay in the rest of the house,while doing it up-seeing as its perfectly safe,as stated the geometra also.

ben[/QUOTE]

Ben,

Sounds a terrible tragedy. Is it the insurance company that is insisting on these things?

If it is and they are offering you alternative accommodation it seems they want to do the right thing by you.

If it is the district surveyor telling you this then you should seek a compromise ... offer to be absent whilst the clean-up is done, offer to seal off the damaged part from the rest of the house and then insist on moving back in.
As in England a house is uninhabitable if it is not a fit place - i.e. - bedroom, bathroom and facilitiesfor the preparation and eating of food.

From what you say and if you could rig up a temporary kitchen you should have a habitable house

You might be able to hire a portable kitchen - there is a type which looks like like a large trunk from the outside but opens up to reveal a complete working kitchen.

Best of British and Italian luck to you.

Especially to sdoj,thanks a lot,thats what i'll do.......

Its the district surveyor.

thanks to everyone,this is the answer i was looking for........!

Cheerio!

Ben

Oh,and cause of fire;

Stove pipe too close to cut away in WOODEN floor,which was antique also,and henceforth,very dry.......

I know many of you too will have these old wooden floors and roofs with beams in them, so be carefull with your heating arrangements!

Thanks again,and cheerio

Ben

Timely advice for all who have bought properties with wooden floors, beams etc. Be very careful to check for fire hazards.