What This Requirement Covers
The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 came into force on 23 January 2023 and amended the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 to strengthen fire safety requirements for multi-occupied residential buildings. The regulations were introduced in response to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 recommendations.
Key Requirements
Key Provisions
- External walls: The Responsible Person must assess the fire risk posed by the structure, external walls (including cladding, balconies, and insulation), and anything attached to the exterior of the building
- Flat entrance doors: The Responsible Person must carry out annual checks of flat entrance doors (where the building contains separate sets of domestic premises)
- Common parts fire doors: Quarterly checks of all fire doors in common parts (corridors, lobbies, stairways)
- Information sharing: In buildings over 11 metres, the Responsible Person must share information with the local fire and rescue service, including:
- Lifts: The Responsible Person must provide the fire and rescue service with information about the location and status of lifts in buildings with lifts
- Wayfinding signage: In buildings over 11 metres, floor identification signage and apartment numbering must be provided in the stairways
Who Is the Responsible Person?
- The Responsible Person is typically the person who has control of the common parts of the building
- This may be the freeholder, management company, right-to-manage company, or managing agent
- In some cases, multiple persons may share responsibility
Practical Compliance Tips
- Review the fire risk assessment to ensure it covers external walls, flat entrance doors, and common parts fire doors as required by the 2022 regulations
- Establish a schedule for quarterly fire door checks (common parts) and annual checks (flat entrance doors)
- Train staff or appoint a competent person to carry out the fire door inspections
- For buildings over 11 metres, prepare the information package for the fire and rescue service and submit it proactively
- Install floor identification signs in stairways and ensure apartment numbers are clearly displayed
- Keep records of all inspections, information submissions, and any remedial actions
- Cooperate with leaseholders regarding access for flat entrance door inspections