# UK Dopers: what law do I break setting fire to my own home? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 2, 2015, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-what-law-do-i-break-setting-fire-to-my-own-home/714042 "2015-03-02T20:22:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-what-law-do-i-break-setting-fire-to-my-own-home/714042/1 "2015-03-02T20:22:19Z")
Some background… this is based on a real event last week. We have an eccentric lady who lives in the next street in a small two-up-two-down terrace. She’s the local Crazy Cat Lady - unusual dress-sense, loads of cats in the house, rants at the neighbours now and again etc. Last year when the gypsy horse fair was in town she bought a pony and kept it in her kitchen until the RSPCA got involved. Sadly underlying the eccentricity is mental illness made worse by alcoholism, but she’s high-functioning enough that she can’t be sectioned and her anti-social behaviour doesn’t quite cross into illegal territory. Anyway, last week she set fire to her living room at 5am… being a terrace the smoke and flames quickly spread towards neighbours’ homes, but the local volunteer fire fighters managed to get on scene quickly and put the fire out. Fortunately no-one was killed, although I think 3-4 cats perished, and although there was a lot of smoke damage none of the other homes burned down. Reports are now that she’s been put on remand pending a trial, but I couldn’t work out what the charge might be. As far as I know it’s not a crime to destroy your own home - there are often articles in the Daily Mail about disgruntled husbands who knock down their house rather than give it to their ex-wife - but there must be something about putting people’s lives in danger like this? Attempted manslaughter seems a bit of a stretch, it’s not arson or criminal damage if it’s your own home (although not sure if that’s the case with a mortgage?), and I don’t recall a charge of “reckless endangerment” or similar. I would assume the fact it’s a terraced property, so shares walls and roof-space with other homes, might put it in a different light to a secluded detached property. [This thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=681563) talks about the US view, but presume in the UK we do things differently. ---
**Author:** ![Habeed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a587f6/32.png) [@Habeed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Habeed)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-what-law-do-i-break-setting-fire-to-my-own-home/714042/2 "2015-03-02T20:27:15Z")
Arson? You may have the right to destroy your own property, _if_ you own it in the clear, but you do _not_ have the right to do it using fire unless the proper authorities are notified and you are not endangering nearby homes. ---
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-what-law-do-i-break-setting-fire-to-my-own-home/714042/3 "2015-03-02T20:33:21Z")
I might have answered my own question… the relevant law seems to be the Criminal Damage Act 1971: > [@](#): > > A person who without lawful excuse destroys or damages any property, whether belonging to himself or another— > (a)intending to destroy or damage any property or being reckless as to whether any property would be destroyed or damaged; and > (b)intending by the destruction or damage to endanger the life of another or being reckless as to whether the life of another would be thereby endangered;shall be guilty of an offence. > (3)An offence committed under this section by destroying or damaging property by fire shall be charged as arson. So looks like she’s guilty of parts a) and b)… there was intent to destroy property, and while there might not have been intent to endanger life she was certainly reckless as to whether other people might be killed. ---
**Author:** ![tapu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@tapu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tapu)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-what-law-do-i-break-setting-fire-to-my-own-home/714042/4 "2015-03-02T20:35:30Z")
Endangerment. ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-what-law-do-i-break-setting-fire-to-my-own-home/714042/5 "2015-03-02T20:36:15Z")
If you try to collect insurance money afterwards it’s fraud. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-what-law-do-i-break-setting-fire-to-my-own-home/714042/6 "2015-03-02T20:38:22Z")
Probably a bit of cruelty to animals in there, too.