The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 Explained

Short answer: the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 came into force on 23 January 2023 and apply in England only, to buildings with two or more sets of domestic premises. Every such building needs fire safety instructions and fire door information for residents; buildings over 11 metres need regular fire door checks; and high-rise buildings (18 metres or seven storeys) have extra duties on plans, signage, lifts and information for firefighters.

Who the regulations apply to

The regulations were made under article 24 of the Fire Safety Order and apply in England only^[1]. They cover buildings containing two or more sets of domestic premises, such as blocks of flats and converted houses, with duties that increase with height^[1][2]. The duties fall on the responsible person, usually the freeholder, residents’ management company, right to manage company or the managing agent acting for them.

They sit on top of the Fire Safety Order, not instead of it. Since the Fire Safety Act 2021, the Order covers the structure, external walls and flat entrance doors of these buildings as well as the common parts^[3], so your fire risk assessment should already be looking at all of them.

The duties at a glance

All buildings with two or more dwellings

Fire safety instructions (regulation 9)

Where residents would use common parts to evacuate, the responsible person must display fire safety instructions in a conspicuous place and give them to residents: to new residents as soon as reasonably practicable, to all residents at least every 12 months, and again after any material change^[1][4].

Fire door information (regulation 10)

Residents must be told that fire doors should be kept shut, that they must not tamper with self-closing devices, and that they should report faults or damage. This goes to new residents as soon as reasonably practicable and to all residents every 12 months^[5].

Buildings with a top storey above 11 metres

In these buildings, regulation 10 also requires the responsible person to^[5][6]:

• check all fire doors in the common parts at least every three months;
• use best endeavours to check all flat entrance doors at least every 12 months;
• include self-closing devices in the checks; and
• keep records of the checks.

“Best endeavours” for flat entrance doors means you have to make real efforts to get access, so keep a record of letters, appointments offered and missed visits. Routine checks look for things like closers that do not shut the door fully, damaged or missing seals, excessive gaps, damaged leaves and wedged-open doors. Where checks turn up repeated problems, a more detailed fire door inspection helps you plan repairs.

High-rise residential buildings

A high-rise residential building is one that is at least 18 metres high or has at least seven storeys^[1]. On top of the duties above, the responsible person must:

• Regulation 4, secure information box: install a box that firefighters can access, that can hold the required documents and is reasonably protected from tampering; keep the responsible person’s UK contact details and hard copies of the floor plans and building plan in it; and inspect it at least once a year^[1].
• Regulation 5, external walls: record the design and materials of the external walls, including the level of risk they present, and update the record after significant changes^[1].
• Regulation 6, plans: prepare floor plans and a building plan showing lifts and key firefighting equipment, and keep them up to date^[1].
• Regulation 7, lifts and equipment: check firefighting and evacuation lifts and essential firefighting equipment monthly, report any fault not fixed within 24 hours to the fire and rescue service electronically, and record the checks and make the records available to residents^[7].
• Regulation 8, wayfinding signage: install floor and flat number signage that is visible in low light or smoky conditions^[2].
• Regulation 11, information to the fire service: send electronic copies of the external wall information and the plans to the local fire and rescue service^[1].

High-rise buildings with at least two residential units also come under the Building Safety Act 2022 higher-risk building regime, including registration with the Building Safety Regulator and duties on the Principal Accountable Person^[8].

Residential evacuation plans from 6 April 2026

The Fire Safety (Residential Evacuation Plans) (England) Regulations 2025 came into force on 6 April 2026^[9]. They apply to high-rise residential buildings and to residential buildings over 11 metres that have a simultaneous evacuation strategy. The responsible person must:

• make reasonable endeavours to identify residents who would have difficulty evacuating without help;
• offer each of them a person-centred fire risk assessment and a residential personal emergency evacuation plan (PEEP); and
• with the resident’s consent, share basic information with the fire and rescue service^[9].

If your building is in scope, your fire risk assessment and evacuation strategy need to reflect this.

How this links to your fire risk assessment and maintenance

The 2022 regulations do not replace the fire risk assessment, and the door and equipment checks are not a review of it. Your assessment should still be reviewed regularly and after significant changes (see how often to review). Separately, the Fire Safety Order requires fire safety facilities and equipment, such as fire alarms, emergency lighting and smoke ventilation, to be subject to a suitable system of maintenance and kept in efficient working order and good repair^[10]. If your building has smoke vents, see our AOV and smoke control servicing. Our blocks of flats page sets out how we work with managing agents.

Wales and Scotland

The 2022 regulations apply in England only. In Wales the Fire Safety Order still covers the common parts, structure, external walls and flat entrance doors of blocks of flats, and the Building Safety (Wales) Act 2026 will introduce a new regime for multi-occupied residential buildings once its provisions are in force^[11]. In Scotland, Part 3 of the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 generally excludes the common parts of ordinary blocks of flats, though Scottish Government guidance recommends a fire risk assessment for high-rise domestic buildings^[12][13].

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Check the current legislation for your premises, or ask us.