The Fire Safety Act
The Fire Safety Act clarifies the scope of the Fire Safety Order to make clear it applies to the structure, external walls (including cladding and balconies) and individual flat entrance doors between domestic premises and the common parts of a multi-occupied residential building.
If you are a Responsible Person, you must consider these parts when conducting fire risk assessments, if you have not done so already.
More detail is contained in the factsheets and guidance on this page.
Fire Risk Assessment Prioritisation Tool
To support the commencement of the Fire Safety Act the government is launching the Fire Risk Assessment Prioritisation Tool. This is an online tool for Responsible Persons to prioritise how soon your fire risk assessments should be updated.
To help you use of the tool, read the ‘Fire Safety Act Commencement prioritisation guidance’ available to view here.
ARMA, part of The Property Institute (TPI), has today published an updated version of its ‘Fire Safety Management in Flats’ Advice Note, a good practice guide for those involved in the management of fire safety in properties in the residential long leasehold sector, including RMCs, RTMs, managing agents, developers and landlords.
This Guidance Note is for professional Fire Safety personnel involved in the residential long leasehold sector, including managing agents, developers and landlords. It represents the core of good practice for managing agents who manage fire safety in residential long leasehold properties and the clients/responsible persons who they act for. It has been written to apply to residential long leasehold properties (a lease of a term in excess of 21 years when originally granted) in England and Wales where a service charge, which varies according to expenditure, is payable.
This guidance has been independently reviewed and endorsed by Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, ARMA’s Primary Authority Partner.
The Advice Note, first published in October 2019, has been substantially updated to reflect current statutory guidance and industry best practice and has been independently reviewed and endorsed by Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, ARMA’s Primary Authority Partner.
The Note represents the core of good practice for those who manage fire safety in residential long leasehold properties and the clients/responsible persons whom they act for and covers four main areas: Fire Safety Law; Fire Risk Assessments; Fire Safety Management; and Managing Fire Risks. It also includes an example of a fire action notice for blocks with a Stay Put policy, advice on the scope and types of fire risk assessments (FRAs), an overview of fire design standards, and a useful index of links to current legislation and regulations, as well as guidance from Government, the National Fire Chiefs Council and RICS.
Download a copy of the Advice Note HERE