A holiday letting agency in Cornwall has pleaded guilty to serious fire safety breaches following failings at one of its rental properties in St Ives. Gill (St Ives) Holiday Enterprises, operating from Beach House in St Ives, admitted the offences at Bodmin Law Courts on 11 March 2025. The charges relate to its Premier Apartments on Wharf Road, where inspections uncovered a series of safety violations that placed guests at risk of death or serious injury in the event of a fire.

The court heard that, on or before 17 October 2023, the company failed to take general fire precautions required under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Fire doors were not up to the 30-minute resistance standard, and many lacked self-closing devices, intumescent strips and seals. Emergency lighting and escape signage were inadequate, final exit doors had key locks, and electrical boards on escape routes were not fire compartmentalised. Critically, no suitable or sufficient fire risk assessment had been carried out.

The failings were prosecuted under Articles 8(1), 32(1)(a) and 32(3) of the Fire Safety Order, along with Section 1 of the Regulatory Reform Act 2001. The sentencing is due to take place at Plymouth District Magistrates’ Court on 23 April 2025.

This case is a clear warning for all duty holders. Properties used for short-term holiday lets must comply fully with fire safety law. Failure to do so not only carries legal consequences, but puts lives at risk.

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