Simon Read: Cutting costs can be a danger to your health

Reader Louise Harris – who runs a chimney sweep firm – writes in response to my comment last week on dodgy lettings agents to warn of the dangers of cutting costs.

She warns that people who buy cheap wood for their fires or cut back on the number of times they have their chimney swept "are putting themselves and/or their properties at serious risk of a chimney fire, and (potentially fatal) carbon monoxide poisoning".

You'd expect a sweep to bemoan the fact that people are spending less on cleaning their chimneys, but Louise's point is sound.

Using cheap tradespeople can be dangerous. I wouldn't risk it and lettings agents shouldn't, no matter how much they want to reduce their costs.