Fire safety checks for block managers: a practical guide to the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022

Who the duties fall on

The duties sit with the responsible person, as defined by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. GOV.UK says that in a block of flats this is usually the person who has control of the premises in connection with carrying on a business — for example the freeholder, a managing agent or a residents’ management company. Contractors can be engaged to carry out the work, but GOV.UK says the duty itself cannot be delegated.

The Fire Safety Act 2021 clarified that, in buildings with two or more sets of domestic premises, the Fire Safety Order applies to the building’s structure and external walls and to the common parts, including all flat entrance doors. The 2022 Regulations then added specific duties in three tiers, by building height. Each tier adds to the ones below it.

Every block with two or more flats

Fire safety instructions

Fire safety instructions must be displayed in a conspicuous part of the building. GOV.UK says they must be easy to understand and cover:

• the evacuation strategy for the building, such as stay put or simultaneous evacuation;
• how to report a fire, including the correct address to give the fire and rescue service; and
• anything else residents must do when a fire has occurred.

The instructions must also be given to new residents as soon as reasonably practicable after they move in, re-issued to all residents at intervals of no more than 12 months, and re-issued after any material change to them.

Fire door information

On the same timetable — on moving in and at least every 12 months — residents must be told that fire doors should be kept shut when not in use, that they must not tamper with self-closing devices, and that they should report any fault or damage to a fire door to the responsible person straight away.

The everyday basics

The Fire Safety Order still applies alongside the 2022 Regulations. For example, where necessary to keep people safe, routes to emergency exits and the exits themselves must be kept clear at all times. In practice that means someone regularly walking the common parts — which is where a simple, recorded walk-round helps.

Blocks over 11 metres

Where the top storey is more than 11 metres above ground level — GOV.UK says typically five storeys or more — the responsible person must also:

• check all communal fire doors at least every three months — stairway, cross-corridor, cupboard and riser doors — including that they self-close (or, for cupboards and risers, are kept locked shut); and
• use best endeavours to check every flat entrance door at least every 12 months, keeping a record of the steps taken, including attempts to get access where a flat could not be checked.

Defects should be put right as soon as reasonably practicable, and GOV.UK says repairs or replacements must be carried out by a competent contractor. The checks themselves are simple and visual — what to look for, who can do them and how to handle access problems are covered in our guide to fire door checks under regulation 10.

High-rise blocks (18 metres or 7+ storeys)

A residential building is high-rise under the Regulations if it is at least 18 metres above ground level or has seven or more storeys. On top of everything above, the responsible person must:

Check lifts and fire-fighting equipment every month

Regulation 7 requires monthly routine checks of lifts for use by firefighters, evacuation lifts and essential fire-fighting equipment — a check that the equipment is in efficient working order and good repair, carried out to the relevant industry standard or the manufacturer’s recommendations. Essential fire-fighting equipment includes the key fire-fighting equipment shown on the floor plans (for example rising mains, smoke control and suppression systems, as GOV.UK lists), plus fire detection and alarm systems, evacuation alert systems and automatic door release mechanisms linked to the fire alarm. GOV.UK says evacuation alert systems get a visual check of the control and indicating equipment, not a test.

• A record of the monthly checks must be made and made accessible to residents.
• If a fault is found, steps must be taken to fix it. If it cannot be fixed within 24 hours, it must be reported electronically to the local fire and rescue service as soon as reasonably practicable — and reported again once it is fixed.

Keep floor and flat signs in good order

Regulation 8 requires clear floor and flat identification signs on each landing within the stairways and in the lift lobbies, visible in low lighting or by torchlight. GOV.UK says they must be maintained in good condition and that it is important to check them regularly.

Secure information box, plans and wall information

• Install a secure information box that the fire and rescue service can readily reach, containing the responsible person’s name, UK address and phone number and a copy of the floor plans and building plan — and inspect it at least once a year.
• Prepare floor plans and a single-page building plan, keep a hard copy in the box and send an electronic copy to the fire and rescue service, updating both after relevant changes.
• Send the fire and rescue service electronic information about the design and materials of the external walls, and resubmit it after significant changes.

A routine checks calendar

Here is the same information arranged by how often it comes round.

“High-rise” rows also apply the “Over 11m” and “All blocks” rows, and “Over 11m” rows also apply the “All blocks” rows. Your fire risk assessment may call for more frequent checks than these minimums.

Running the checks in CheckTasks

CheckTasks does not take on the duties — it gives you a simple way to plan the checks, prove they happened and follow up what they find:

• A QR code or NFC tag at each door or landing. Staff scan in, so every check is time-stamped and location-checked, with photos of any fault.
• Smart Forms for the checks themselves. Start from the ready-made fire door inspection template, or build your own lift, signage or walk-round checklist, and attach it to the checkpoint.
• Scheduled rounds. Schedules repeat daily, weekly or monthly, or run once. Monthly covers the high-rise monthly checks; for a three-monthly fire door round, set a monthly round or a one-off schedule for each quarter; for yearly checks, use a one-off schedule.
• Missed checks flagged. If a scheduled round does not happen, it is flagged automatically and managers are emailed and asked to record why.
• Records you can share. Reports export as PDF, Excel or CSV — useful when the monthly check records need to be accessible to residents — and the Audit Log shows who changed what in your account.

Monthly checks on lifts, rising mains or alarm systems are technical work that your contractors may carry out. You can still record in CheckTasks that each one happened, with notes and photos. Reporting faults to the fire and rescue service stays with you.