Fire safety compliance for building owners

About this learning path

This journey guides you through the fire safety duties that apply to building owners following the Fire Safety Act 2021 and Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022. These laws were introduced in response to the Grenfell Tower tragedy and significantly expand your responsibilities.

This learning path is for:

• Freeholders and building owners
• Resident Management Companies (RMCs)
• Managing agents responsible for fire safety
• Housing associations and social landlords
• Anyone who may be a 'responsible person' for a multi-occupied residential building

By the end of this journey, you will understand who is legally responsible for fire safety, what assessments you must conduct, what inspections and maintenance are required, and how to communicate with residents and the Fire and Rescue Service.

Part 1: Understanding who you are in fire safety law

Before you can meet your fire safety duties, you need to know whether you are a 'responsible person' under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Getting this wrong can mean criminal liability falls on the wrong person, or that nobody takes responsibility at all.

The responsible person is whoever has control of the building. In multi-occupied residential buildings, this is often the freeholder, but can also be a management company, managing agent, or Resident Management Company.

Part 2: Fire risk assessment fundamentals

Once you know you are a responsible person, your primary duty is to conduct a fire risk assessment for the areas under your control. This is not optional - it is a legal requirement under Article 9 of the Fire Safety Order.

Since the Fire Safety Act 2021, fire risk assessments for multi-occupied residential buildings must explicitly cover external walls, cladding, balconies, windows, and flat entrance doors. Many pre-2022 assessments do not meet this expanded scope.

Part 3: External wall assessment requirements

The Grenfell Tower fire spread rapidly via the building's external cladding. The Fire Safety Act 2021 now explicitly requires your fire risk assessment to include external walls - covering cladding systems, insulation, balconies, windows, and anything attached to the exterior.

For buildings with complex cladding, you may need an External Wall Survey (EWS1) conducted by a qualified fire engineer. EWS1 ratings range from A1 (no combustible materials) to B2 (extensive remediation required).

Part 4: Fire door inspection duties

Fire doors are critical to compartmentation - the fire safety strategy that contains fire and smoke within defined areas. The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 introduced mandatory inspection frequencies for buildings 11 metres or higher.

If your building meets this height threshold, you must inspect communal fire doors quarterly and make best endeavours to inspect flat entrance doors annually. Keep records of all inspections and any remedial actions.

Part 5: High-rise specific requirements

If your building is a 'high-rise residential building' - 18 metres or higher, or at least 7 storeys - you have additional duties under the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022. These requirements implement key recommendations from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 report.

High-rise buildings must have secure information boxes, floor plans provided to the Fire and Rescue Authority, wayfinding signage for firefighters, and enhanced resident information duties.

Part 6: Providing information to your Fire and Rescue Service

For high-rise buildings, you have specific duties to provide building information to your local Fire and Rescue Authority. This helps firefighters plan their response to incidents and navigate your building safely.

You must provide electronic floor plans, external wall construction information, and details of fire safety equipment. This information must be kept up to date and provided promptly on request.

Part 7: Communicating fire safety to residents

You must provide fire safety information to all residents of your building. This is a specific duty under Regulation 9 of the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 and applies to all multi-occupied residential buildings, regardless of height.

Residents need to understand the building's evacuation strategy, what to do if they discover a fire, how fire doors work, and how to report fire safety concerns. Getting this communication right can save lives.

Enforcement and penalties

Fire safety breaches are criminal offences with serious penalties. Since the Grenfell Tower fire, enforcement has intensified significantly. Fire and Rescue Authorities are conducting more inspections and prosecuting more cases involving residential buildings.

Relationship with the Building Safety Act 2022

If your building is 18 metres or higher, or has 7 or more storeys, you likely also have duties under the Building Safety Act 2022. This creates additional requirements enforced by the Building Safety Regulator (part of HSE), including registration, Accountable Person duties, and safety case reports.

You must comply with both the Fire Safety Act 2021 (enforced by the Fire and Rescue Authority) and the Building Safety Act 2022 (enforced by the Building Safety Regulator) separately. Meeting one does not satisfy the other.

Fire safety compliance checklist

All multi-occupied residential buildings

• Confirm you are a responsible person (or identify who is)
• Fire risk assessment covering structure, external walls, and flat entrance doors
• Fire safety information provided to all residents
• Process for residents to report fire safety concerns

Buildings 11 metres or higher (approximately 5+ storeys)

• Quarterly fire door inspections (communal areas)
• Annual fire door inspections (flat entrance doors - best endeavours)
• Records of all inspections and remedial actions

Buildings 18 metres or higher (or 7+ storeys)

• Secure information box with floor plans and contact details
• Floor plans provided to Fire and Rescue Authority
• Wayfinding signage on all floors and stairwells
• External wall construction information recorded and available
• Enhanced resident information (external wall info on request)
• Check Building Safety Act 2022 duties also apply

Further resources