Fire safety in flats – Top 10 Tips

1. Ask your managing agent to provide you with a copy of the building’s latest fire risk assessment. It is, effectively, a guide book for fire safety plans in your building.
   
2. If your managing agent won’t provide you with a copy of the fire risk assessment then complain to the individual agent directly. If that does not work, then make a formal complaint through the internal complaints procedure at the agent’s company.

   If you are still unhappy, you can complain to a redress scheme. All managing agents in England must be a member of one these redress schemes:

   • The Property Ombudsman
   • The Property Redress Scheme
3. If there is no fire risk assessment and the responsible person will not conduct an assessment, then contact your local fire and rescue authority (FRA). Your FRA is responsible for enforcing fire safety regulations. They can make the person responsible for fire safety in your building carry out a fire risk assessment.

   Your local fire service can tell you who the FRA is (it might be your local council). You can also search on the National Fire Chiefs Council website.
   

4. It is recommended that for low-rise blocks of up to three storeys above ground, built in the last 20 years, fire risk assessments should be:
   • reviewed every 2 years
   • redone every 4 years

   For blocks with higher risks (for example, because of the age of the building), or those more than 3 storeys high, it is recommended that assessments should be:

   • reviewed every year
   • redone every 3 years

   In extreme cases (for the highest-risk buildings), a new fire risk assessment is recommended annually.

   When you receive your building’s fire risk assessment check when it was last redone and/or reviewed.

5. If you have received the assessment, check that the managing agent has or will act on its recommendations.
   
6. Fit smoke alarm(s) in your flat and test them monthly.
   
7. Be vigilant that the communal areas are free of obstructions to your escape from fire; and that fire doors in communal areas are not propped open.
   
8. If a specific ‘evacuation plan’ is agreed with the Local Fire Authority then you should read the plan carefully, so you know what to do if you ever need to evacuate.
   
9. Check that the managing agents have regular testing and servicing arrangements in place for any fire-fighting and detection equipment.
   
10. If alterations to doors or the internal layout of the flat are planned, consider implications on fire safety and check any issues with your managing agent.

More on fire safety in your home here