Fire Safety

A Fire Risk Assessment (FRA) reviews the dangers of a fire breaking out in your building and recommends ways to reduce risks and protect residents.  

Managing and controlling fire risks is an important part of managing a building.

For residential blocks, the fire risk assessment covers the common parts of a building.  This includes stairwells, entrance halls, external walls and front doors to flats that open on to common areas. 

General precautions to keep residents, visitors and other parties safe are also taken into consideration.

In England and Wales, all blocks of flats must have a fire risk assessment.

Accountable Persons & the Principal Accountable Person 

Manage the fire and structural safety risks of a high-rise residential building.

A high-rise residential building has at least:

• 7 storeys or is at least 18 metres high.
• 2 residential units.

An AP can be:

• freeholder or estate owner.
• landlord.
• management company.
• resident management company.
• right to manage company.
• commonhold association.

Principle Accountable Person (PAP)

Each building must have one clearly identifiable AP, known as the PAP.

The PAP is usually an organisation, like a commonhold association, local authority or social housing provider.

In some circumstances, an individual can be the PAP. For example, the individual is:

• the owner of the building.
• named on the leasehold as responsible for the maintenance of common parts.

Each building must have one clearly identifiable AP, known as the PAP.

The PAP is usually an organisation, like a commonhold association, local authority or social housing provider.

In some circumstances, an individual can be the PAP. For example, the individual is:

• the owner of the building
• named on the leasehold as responsible for the maintenance of common parts.

If there is just one AP for a building, then they are the PAP.

When there are multiple APs, then whoever owns or has a legal obligation to repair the structure and exterior of the building is the PAP.

APs and the PAP can be accountable for the fire and structural safety risks of more than one building.

Management Companies & Agents 

Accountability remains with whoever owns the common parts, or has the legal obligation to repair or maintain them under a lease. 

A management company operating under a contract which requires it to carry out maintenance is not an AP. 

A management company that operates under a lease that requires it to repair or maintain the common parts will be the AP for those parts.

Landlords

A landlord that rents or leases property and is legally responsible for maintaining the common parts of their building is an AP, for example:

• local authority
• social housing
• private sector

A Responsible Person (RP) is a role under The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. 

In some buildings an AP or PAP will also be the Responsible Person (RP). 

Where this is not the case, building safety information must be shared across these roles and any information shared must meet data protection requirements.

For further information, see the government website https://www.gov.uk/guidance/safety-in-high-rise-residential-buildings-accountable-persons