By George Baker, Compliance Manager
Amended regulations come into force next month aimed at improving the evacuation process for occupiers who have difficulty getting themselves out of a residential building in the event of a fire.
The amendments to the Fire Safety (Residential Evacuation Plans) (England) Regulations come into effect on April 6th, 2026, and are a key part of the Government's response to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.
It will see improved duties placed on building owners and managers in high-rise and higher risk residential buildings to address the fire safety concerns of the most vulnerable tenants.
Essentially, owners and managers will be responsible for offering vulnerable residents their own Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan, which can then be shared with their local fire service to use in event of a fire.
A collaborative effort required
Identifying vulnerable occupants needs a collaborative effort between landlords, letting agents and block management companies to provide key information and assurance that assistance is on offer should it be required.
Residents with mobility or other impairments who may require assistance need to know options are there to aid safe evacuation and amendments.
However, there are some grey areas in these new regulations, as tenants must expressly consent for personal information on them to be collected and shared.
If refused, an audit trail must be maintained as part of the building’s fire safety documentation.
At Pure Block Management, in such a situation, we ensure the benefits are thoroughly explained, providing a personal and understanding approach, and that the individual understands the potential implications of not having their own plan.
We also ensure they are fully aware of the fire safety instructions for themselves and the building procedure in the event of a fire.
Another area of concern is that there is no mandatory requirement on residents to inform those responsible of any issues which may impact on their ability to evacuate safely.
For example, if they have a change in their circumstances, such as having suffered an injury or illness, which reduces their mobility, they are not duty bound to inform anyone.
Equally, other businesses who may have an involvement with tenants, such as lettings agencies, rarely present key information on the tenant to block management companies.
Although complex due to change in tenancies, a collaborative effort is required to ensure the safest environment is provided for all occupants.
Block Management firms must be pro-active
It is these ‘grey areas’ which place a focus on owners and Block Management companies.
They need to be extra vigilant and pro-active to ensure all residents are regularly communicated with about the opportunity to have, and the benefits of, dedicated person-centred fire risk assessment and evacuation statement.
For those who do comply, it is essential that details provided can be shared with the local fire service and a relevant evacuation statement can be kept in a secure information box on site.
Key details such as the floor and flat or apartment number the occupant is in, the number of people requiring assistance, a concise statement about the level of assistance needed to evacuate, and details on any equipment or measures that support or affect their evacuation, must be included.
At Pure Block Management, we make sure we are in regular contact with residents in the blocks we manage to ensure all are aware of the benefits of a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan, and that we are on hand to help create one for them.
We recently completed a full assessment and plan for a resident at a development in York. Their plan was shared with the local fire service, a home visit from the local service was carried out and all parties are now aware of the assistance needed, should there be an emergency situation.
We are fortunate to work closely with some excellent local fire services who are very proactive, carrying out regular risk assessments to identify potential fire hazards within the buildings we manage.
These latest regulations are the latest to quite rightly add extra responsibility on those managing residential blocks to ensure they keep fire safety at the top of their compliance priorities at all times
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