Birmingham City Council has fined a company £240,000 after it failed to install a fire detection system across three tower blocks at Solihull Heights despite an Improvement Notice requiring the work.
Avamore Limited pleaded guilty at Birmingham Magistrates Court to breaching the notice. A £360,000 penalty was cut to £240,000 for the early plea, with prosecution costs and a £2,000 victim surcharge added on top.
The council says the case is a warning to owners of high-rise stock. Officers are now pursuing enforcement at 26 further developments in the city, which puts landlords with blocks in Birmingham under closer watch this winter.
Council acts over missing detection system
The Improvement Notice required a detection system to give residents early warning if fire involved the external walls. The council said the company failed to comply, leaving three blocks without the required cover.
Councillor Harris Khaliq, cabinet member for city services and digital at Birmingham City Council, said residents should not be left to worry about safety. “If landlords, developers or building owners ignore legal notices designed to protect residents, Birmingham City Council will take action and hold them to account,” he said.
The prosecution is part of a wider push on high-rise safety in the city. The council said specialist officers continue to investigate fire safety concerns, with dozens of sites now subject to live action.
What the ruling signals for block owners
Improvement Notices carry criminal liability if ignored. A guilty plea can reduce the fine, but costs, surcharges and publicity remain. For landlords with interests in managed blocks, the paper trail on notices, works orders and completion certificates is now the key evidence.
Agents and managers acting for owners should also take note. Councils can pursue the responsible person for a building, and courts will look at who had control and who failed to act once the notice was served.
This follows Landlord Knowledge’s report on the Hastings agency boss fined £24,500 after ignoring fire inspectors, where failure to act on official warnings lifted the penalty. It also echoes the case that saw a rogue landlord stripped of an OBE after a £300,000 prosecution, which showed courts will back large fines where safety is put at risk. Fire safety duties are set out in the Fire Safety England Regulations 2022.
What this means for landlords
- If you own in a high-rise block: check whether any Improvement Notice or fire risk action plan applies to your building and confirm works are signed off.
- Ask for proof: get copies of detection commissioning certificates, alarm test logs and external wall assessment notes.
- Watch Birmingham: 26 more developments face action – expect inspections and requests for documents to rise.
- Mind the plea discount: early admission cut this fine by a third, but costs and reputational harm still apply.
- Bottom line: do not sit on a fire notice – act, record and chase written clearance.
Editor’s view
Councils are done with warnings on paper. A £240,000 fine focuses minds, and Birmingham has 26 more cases in the queue. Owners who treat fire notices as admin will pay for it.
Author: Editorial Team – UK landlord and buy-to-let news, policy, and finance
Published: 29 October 2026
Sources: Birmingham City Council, Birmingham Magistrates Court
Related reading: Hastings agency boss fined £24,500 after ignoring fire inspectors
