Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022: Key Requirements Explained

The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 came into force on 23 January 2023, implementing key recommendations from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 report. These regulations apply to responsible persons for residential buildings containing two or more sets of domestic premises and build on the duties established by the Fire Safety Act 2021.

For all multi-occupied residential buildings, the regulations require the responsible person to provide residents with fire safety instructions (including information about the building’s evacuation strategy), share information with the fire and rescue service on the building’s external wall materials, and install wayfinding signage in buildings over 11 metres to assist firefighting operations.

For buildings over 11 metres (roughly four storeys), additional requirements include quarterly checks of fire doors in communal areas, annual checks of flat entrance doors, ensuring floor and building identification signage is installed, and providing information about the domestic premises to the local fire and rescue service.

For higher-risk residential buildings (over 18 metres or with seven or more storeys), the regulations introduce further duties including preparing Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs) for residents who self-identify as unable to evacuate without assistance, installing and maintaining evacuation alert systems, providing monthly checks of lifts intended for firefighter use, and ensuring secure information boxes are installed containing building plans.

The PEEP requirements have been particularly significant. Responsible persons must prepare a PEEP for each resident who they are made aware cannot safely self-evacuate. These plans must be personal to the individual, reviewed regularly, and shared with the fire and rescue service on request. Failure to prepare adequate PEEPs can result in enforcement action.

Custodia supports compliance with the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 through fire door inspection scheduling and tracking, PEEP management tools, wayfinding signage compliance records, and integration with the broader fire risk assessment management workflow.