What Are The New Fire Safety Regulations For Landlords?

As of January 2023, The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 are now in effect. They bring with them sweeping changes and will introduce new duties for building owners and managers when it comes to fire safety.

If you're a landlord or property manager, who oversees any buildings containing self-contained flat and/or rooms let on individual tenancies in a shared house it's critical that you understand these regulations and what they mean for you.

Split into regulations 9 & 10, these new regulations are made under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. In this blog post, we'll outline the key points of the regulations and provide some guidance to landlords on how to ensure compliance.

Landlord Fire Safety Regulations & Supplying Information

The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 are ushering in a series of new fire safety regulations that promote the act of taking responsible action. Amongst these duties is the requirement to provide information about fire safety both as it pertains to what to do in an event of a fire and how to ensure safety protocols are followed.

Regulation 9 – Fire Safety Instructions

According to Regulation 9, this information must be displayed prominently in communal areas and include the following at a minimum:

• Information on how to evacuate the building
• How to report a fire to the fire & rescue services
• Additional information on escape routes and safety guidelines to follow in the event of a fire

The new regulations also state that the ‘responsible persons’ must offer copies of these instructions:

• To all current residents within 12 months of the regulations being in effect
• To any new residents as soon as reasonably possible following the start of their tenancy
• To all residents once every 12 months

It’s also important to stay up-to-date on any updates to the Regulatory Reform Order, as new information must be provided as and when needed to all tenants.

Regulation 10 – Fire Door Information

Under new regulations, responsible persons must also provide information to their tenants about the building’s fire doors, both those in individual dwellings and communal areas. The information must include at a minimum:

• Instructions to keep all fire doors closed when not in use
• Information about self-closing devices and rules around not tampering with them
• Instructions on how residents should report fault or damages to fire doors immediately

Like the fire safety information, these resources must be given within 12 months of the regulations coming into effect, and to all new residents as soon as is possible.

This information should also be issues once every 12 months along with the fire safety information to ensure all residents are engaged and educated on the importance of fire safety.

New Fire Door Regulations For Landlords

The new regulations set out in The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 also bring with them new expectations around landlords maintaining their building’s fire doors. In particular a responsible person must:

• Undertake annual checks of fire doors at the entrance of individual premises on a best endeavour basis
• Keep record of any and all steps taken to carry out these checks, specifically to evidence if and when access was not granted
• Undertake checks of any fire doors within communal areas at least every three months

These checks must also ensure that the doors’ self-closing devices are working correctly and:

• if there have been any alterations or damage to a door's glazing apertures or air transfer grille
• if there are any gaps around the door frame and that seals and hinges are fitted correctly
• that the door closer shuts the door
• that the door closes perfectly around the whole frame
• that there is no visible damage (either deliberate or from wear and tear) to the door or door closer
  
  

Why Do These New Regulations Target Landlords?

Following the events of Grenfell, fire safety has been brought back into sharper focus, with a heavy emphasis on responsible parties taking responsibility for their own premises. As a landlord with people in your care, you have a duty to ensure you have taken every step to assure the safety of all those living in your buildings.

Failure to comply with the regulations could incur serious consequences, including a fine or even imprisonment. Building owners and managers should take action now to ensure compliance in order to avoid any potential enforcement proceedings in the future.

It is essential that everyone takes these regulations seriously and understands the importance of ensuring that their buildings adhere to all aspects of fire safety legislation.

At RW Joinery, we specialise in the manufacture, installation, and maintenance of fully certified performance doorsets.

Under our RW Maintain brand, we provide Fire door inspection, certification, repair & replacement all under one roof. Guaranteeing fire door safety throughout the lifetime of your building.

If you’d like to discuss these legislative changes or your project in more detail, feel free to talk to an expert today. Simply fill out the form below or call us on 0161 480 8722.