What buildings does it apply to?

The new fire safety requirements apply to all non-domestic premises, including workplaces and non-domestic areas in multi-occupied residential buildings (e.g. communal corridors). These requirements do not apply to individual domestic premises.

Duties for those responsible

Recording fire risk assessment

Record the fire risk assessment and fire safety arrangements for your premises in full and under all circumstances. Make as much information readily available as you can. If you’re employing a fire risk assessor to help you, you should record their name and, where applicable, their organisation name.

Cooperation and coordination

Between Responsible Persons

It is your duty to collaborate with other Responsible Persons on the premises to allow for a cohesive approach to fire safety. Your responsibilities include:

• Identifying, informing and making a record of each other and each person’s responsibilities under the Fire Safety Order
• Inform other Responsible Persons of your names or someone acting on your behalf and a UK-based address to receive notices and other documentation.
• If a new Responsible Person is taking over your part of the premises, you must let other Responsible Persons know
• Provide any information in writing to keep a record of communications

With Accountable Persons

In higher-risk residential buildings, which the Building Safety Act defines as a building at least 18 metres in height, or with at least seven storeys, and containing at least two residential units, then you should identify Principal Accountable Persons and cooperate with them, sharing necessary information for effective building and fire safety management.

Accountable Persons are anyone with an obligation to repair any parts of the common parts of the building, typically the freeholder/landlord.

New Responsible Persons

If new Responsible Persons are involved, you should do your part in ensuring a continual record of fire safety information throughout the building’s lifetime. This would include scenarios where you:

• Cease trading
• Undergo a change of ownership
• Sell your business or freehold

Where you are the existing Responsible Person, you must provide any new Responsible person with relevant fire safety information. This includes:

• The fire risk assessment and review records (including any fire safety information provided by other Responsible Persons);
• The identity of any person who assisted with the fire risk assessment/ review;
• The name and UK address of any Responsible Person or any person acting on behalf of the Responsible Person who will accept notices or other documentation;
• The identity of the Accountable Person, where known (if a higher-risk residential building);
• Any information given under regulation 38 of the Building Regulations 2010 (such as the information provided when a building is built or extended).

If you don’t have the incoming Responsible Person’s details, you could ask the building owner or manager. If they don’t have them, you should provide them with all the required information so they can forward it to them. You must make a written record of this.

Duties for buildings with multiple sets of domestic premises

Provide information to residents

The purpose of the amendments to the Fire Safety Order is to help residents feel safe and understand what you’re doing to comply with your responsibilities. So you must provide all residents with the following information:

• any risks to residents identified in the fire risk assessment
• the fire safety measures provided for the safety of any or all occupants (such as the means of escape, the measures to restrict the spread of fire and what people should do in the event of a fire)
• the name and UK address of the Responsible Person
• the identity of any person appointed to assist with making or reviewing the fire risk assessment
• the identity of any competent person nominated by the Responsible Person to implement firefighting measures
• any risks to relevant persons throughout the building that have been identified by other Responsible Persons in the building

You should also consider providing contact details if they’re different to your contact details as the Responsible Person. This is so residents can inform you of any concerns or queries they have about fire safety matters or the information provided to them.

According to the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, you must already provide safety instructions to residents of multi-occupied domestic premises where, in the case of evacuation, they would pass through common parts of the building. Instructions include:

• Evacuation strategy
• How to report a fire
• What they must do when a fire occurs

These regulations also require Responsible Persons to provide information on fire doors, including that they should be kept shut when not in use and that faults should be reported immediately.

There’s more information on the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 here.

Compliance with regulations

Since the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, offences and their respective fines have changed too. You can find out more about the offences and fines here.