New fire safety regulations will come into effect from 23rd January 2023 relating to buildings that contain more than one residence. The duties in these Regulations supplement those imposed by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
These new regulations relate to buildings in England that comprise two or more domestic premises (including the residential parts of mixed-use buildings), including blocks of flats (whether purpose-built or converted from another type of building, such as a house or office building), and blocks used for student accommodation.
Government information
According to the most recent government information, users will be affected if they are the Responsible Person for any building which:
- Contains two or more sets of domestic premises
- Contains common parts through which residents would need to evacuate in the case of an emergency
The new fire safety regulations apply to:
- Parts of the building that are used in common by the residents of two or more domestic premises (e.g., communal corridors and stairways)
- Flat entrance doors
- The walls and floors that separate any domestic premises from other domestic premises, plant rooms, etc, or from parts of the building that are used in common by the occupants of two or more domestic premises
- Plant rooms and other non-domestic areas of the building, such as tenant halls, offices, laundries, gymnasia, and commercial premises
- External walls of the building, including doors or windows within an external wall, and attachments to an external wall (e.g. balconies)
New fire safety regulations
These new fire safety regulations seek to improve the fire safety of high-rise residential buildings by implementing most of the recommendations made by the Grenfell Tower Inquiry in its Phase 1 report.
This means that Responsible Persons will acquire additional fire safety responsibilities and should ensure that any fire risk assessments reflect the new scope of the regulations.
Increased scrutiny is to be put on the appointment of fire risk assessors, with assessments only to be carried out by a ‘competent professional.’ If someone is the responsible person within a high-rise building, they may need help with their fire safety, including fire risk assessments.