New fire safety regulations for East Sussex HMO landlords

The new Fire Safety (England) Regulations come into force on January 23 to meet the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s Phase 1 recommendations.

The fire which destroyed Grenfell Tower in June 2017 killed 72 people. In the public inquiry it was revealed the material in the cladding on the outside of building allowed the fire to spread quickly.

Responsible persons for multi-occupied residential buildings (HMOs) are already required under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and the Fire Safety Act 2021 to assess the fire risk for their building. Now they must consider within their fire risk assessment the risk posed to the structure and external walls of the building, including cladding, balconies and windows, and entrance doors to individual flats that open into common parts.

Responsible persons must provide risk information to their local fire and rescue service. They are also required to provide information to residents regarding fire safety within their building, including details on the evacuation procedure as well as the location and purpose of fire doors.

George O’Reilly, group manager protection, said: “We welcome the commencement of the Fire Safety Act and the bringing forward of the new Regulations, which are important steps forward in strengthening the Fire Safety Order and improving fire safety.

“These regulations will impose significant new legal requirements for responsible persons. Now is the time to take action if they have not already done so, and review their risk assessments.”

This information has to be submitted to East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service by January 23.

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