Landlord facing 'potential financial ruin' following evacuation of Manchester flats over fire risk

A video report by Emma Sweeney

A landlord says he faces "potential financial ruin" after a block of luxury flats was evacuated following fire safety concerns.

Paul Roberts is an independent landlord with tenants in Skyline Chambers in Manchester's Northern Quarter.

The block of flats were deemed 'unsafe' due to fire risks and building owners issued a notice that all residents leave their apartments on Friday 6 October.

Paul says: "For my tenants, first of all, they have lost their homes.

"And some of them work in this city, they work from home and have lost their workplace in essence."

Paul adds: "For me personally, we're looking at potential financial ruin, we're looking at the loss of about half a million pounds.

"And I am not a property company, I am an individual."

Tenants and landlords were invited to a meeting on Monday 9 October to discuss plans for the coming months.

Paul says he was not notified of the evacuation until he received panicked phone calls from tenants on the Friday evening.

He says: "There should have been some kind of communication, any kind of communication would have been fine.

"All I had was a flurry of phone calls from tenants and fellow landlords to say a prohibition notice had been issued.

"That was the entire form of communication, nothing else happened before those events. Nothing."

Greater Manchester Fire Service says it was notified by Skyline Chambers building owners of intentions to empty the building because of concerns around fire safety measures.

Leon Parkes, Director of Prevention and Protection at Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue, said: "As soon as we became aware of the intentions to ask residents to leave the building, we intervened, and we have been working really well with the building owners and local authorities.

"We're all trying to find the best way forward because we have the interest and the safety of the residents at heart."

According to the prohibition notice, residents must vacate their flat by 20 October 2023 when work will begin so the building meets fire safety regulations.

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