New legal provisions within Section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022 that form the latest part of the Home Office’s fire safety reform programme have been laid in Parliament.

This means that from October 1 there will be some new changes to fire regulations which property agents will have to follow.

This is known as Phase 3 of amendments to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 to improve fire safety in all buildings regulated by the FSO which in particular increases requirements with the recording and sharing of fire safety information thus creating a continual record throughout a building’s lifespan, making it easier for enforcement authorities to take action against non-compliance, and ensuring residents have access to comprehensive information about fire safety in their building.

Three new guides have also been published for small non-domestic premises, small blocks of flats, and small sleeping accommodations which guide anyone who has a legal duty for fire safety in a relevant building. 

A fire risk assessment five-step checklist has also been published to help people responsible for the simplest premises complete a fire safety risk assessment.

Propertymark has distilled the additional measures that have been passed for England that introduce new responsibilities under the Fire Safety Order and expand upon the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 in a FAQ format for members to download – there’s a link here but only Propertymark members will be able to download it.