Legislation & Regulation
If you are the responsible person for a block of flats that is at least 18 metres or seven storeys high, or over 11 metres with a simultaneous evacuation strategy, you must take reasonable steps to identify residents who may need help to evacuate, offer them a person-centred fire risk assessment, agree reasonable evacuation arrangements with them and, with their consent, share limited information with the fire and rescue service.
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Building Design & Construction
New residential buildings of 18 metres or more in England must have a second staircase. Your project is only outside the requirement if a building control application, initial notice or building notice was made before 30 September 2026 and the work is started and sufficiently progressed, either before that date or within 18 months of it.
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Managing Fire Safety
In most cases, yes. The Fire Safety Order requires you to review your fire risk assessment when there is reason to think it is no longer valid or there has been a significant change. Regularly charging lithium-ion e-bike and e-scooter batteries indoors introduces a new and serious fire hazard that your assessment needs to address.
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Legislation & Regulation
From 1 October 2026, most new residential developments in England with 10 or more homes, or 30 or more student bedspaces, pay a levy based on their floor area and the local authority's rate. It is due by the earlier of the building control completion notice or first occupation, and authorities can refuse a completion certificate until it is paid.
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Legislation & Regulation
The Building Safety Regulator's move out of the Health and Safety Executive to become a standalone body does not in itself change the legal Gateway 2 requirements. For higher-risk buildings, building work still cannot start until the Regulator has approved a complete building control application.
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Managing Fire Safety
In England, in a building with two or more flats and a top storey over 11 metres, communal fire doors must be checked at least every three months. The responsible person must also use best endeavours to check flat entrance doors at least every 12 months, and keep a record of the steps taken where access is not given.
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Technology & Emerging Risks
Yes. Multi-sensor detectors, which combine smoke with other signals such as heat, can reduce false alarms from things like steam, dust and aerosols, and are a recognised option under BS 5839-1. They must be chosen and positioned by a competent fire alarm designer, and every false alarm should still be investigated and recorded.
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Technology & Emerging Risks
The responsible person. Using software or AI to help write a fire risk assessment does not transfer any of the legal duties under the Fire Safety Order. The assessment must still be suitable and sufficient, and the responsible person remains accountable if it is not.
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Building Design & Construction
Not automatically. Since the Fire Safety Act 2021, the fire risk assessment for any block of flats must consider the external walls, whatever the height. A specialist appraisal using PAS 9980 is usually needed only when the fire risk assessor identifies concerns about the wall system, such as combustible materials or an unknown construction.
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Building Design & Construction
There is no single legal specification, and insurer requirements vary. Insurers commonly look for measures in line with RISCAuthority guidance, such as careful location of chargers, fire separation from the rest of the building, suitable detection and sprinkler and ventilation design, and easy emergency isolation. Speak to your insurer before you install.
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