Landlord’s guide to Fire Safety

When it comes to Fire Safety, compliance is key. Landlords have a legal responsibility to ensure that all of the correct steps to prevent fire in their properties are taken, and in the event of a fire, provide clear warning and a safe means of escape. There's a lot to think about when ensuring compliance with fire safety legislation so we've put together a handy guide to help you navigate your fire safety journey. 

As a landlord, you should ensure that regular Fire Risk Assessments are carried out on your properties to assess and remove potential fire risk and hazards.

What is a Fire Risk Assessment (FRA)?

FRAs are highly-detailed surveys of properties, looking at the important factors regarding the buildings ability to prevent fires, and protect its occupants in the case of emergencies.

As a responsible person, you must carry out and regularly review a Fire Risk Assessment of the premises. This will identify what you need to do to prevent a fire and importantly, keep people safe.

You must also keep a written record of your Fire Risk Assessment if your business employs five or more people. You may have already had a Fire Risk Assessment done by another business, in which we can audit their work to ensure that it is up to the required standard.

Are you sure that your FRA is up to date and completed by a competent surveyor?
If not, you can undertake a Fire Risk Assessment Audit.

“In 2021/22, there were 24,481 accidental dwelling fires attended by the Fire and Rescue Services in Great Britain." (GOV)

What are Compartmentation Surveys?

•   Compartmentation is the process of sub-dividing buildings to prevent the rapid spread of smoke and fire.  

•    Detailed Compartmentation Surveys are assessments of how well a dwelling can protect important escape routes and high-value areas, through sampling and locating potential fire dampers.  
•    Compartmentation Surveys are often overlooked due to high-risk areas often being hidden above false ceilings, ducts, and risers, but can be one of the most effective methods of keeping a building and its occupants safe in the instance of a fire. In blocks of flats in particular, good compartmentation of a building can often stop the fire spreading into communal areas and other dwellings.  

•    Compartmentation Surveys should always be conducted by a registered  Fire Safety Advisor. Make sure you check your supplier is fully accredited and part of the IFHE.

Are you sure that your compartmentation survey is up to date and completed by a competent surveyor?
If not, you can undertake a Compartmentation Audit.

What is a fire door?

Fire doors are a key component of a building’s passive fire protection system and strategy, providing protection to areas of escape and safety.

If you are the RP for a building or premise, it is essential that your fire doors are regularly checked for any damage or faults, and that they are compliant with current regulations.

Pennington Choices provide full Fire Door Audits, in which we assess every aspect of the doors ability to protect and prevent the spread of fire.

Five most common fire door faults*

*Data taken from the Fire Door Inspection Scheme

Nine-step fire door check

Here are nine steps for checking your fire doors. Remember - a full Fire Door Audit should be conducted by a competent and qualified surveyor to ensure compliance.

1. Certification 
   Check for a label or plug on the top or side of the door. If there is no label or certification mark, it may not be a fire door, meaning it will offer zero protection in the event of a real fire.
   
   
2. Gaps 
   Check the gaps around the door are less than 4mm when the door is closed. If the gaps are larger than this, smoke may be able to travel beneath the door in the event of a fire.
   
   
3. Strips and Seals
   Check that any intumescent seals around the door or frame are intact, with no sign of damage. Also check intumescent strips and smoke seals, if present, are undamaged, make contact with the door edge or frame, and have not been painted over during decoration activities. This is to ensure that the seals will still expand during a fire and cease it from travelling through cracks.
   
   
4. Hinges
   Are all hinges and screws accounted, undamaged and fixed firmly to the door and frame? Doors and hinges should be properly maintained to ensure that they are still fit for purpose.
   There should be NO LESS than three hinges on any fire doors.
   
   
5. Glazing
   The condition of the fire resisting glass and glazing system in the door panels, and any associated side or over panels forming part of the doorset, retains their ability to resist the spread of fire and smoke.
   
   
6. Closing 
   Does the door close firmly and securely onto the latch? If the door cannot close properly, it cannot protect from a fire properly. It should not stick/catch on the floor or frame. Check there is an effective self-closing device on fire doors of flat entrances and fire doors within common parts – this is very important. Wedged open fire doors are useless in fires.
   
   
7. Door, frame, and securing wall
   Check the resident has not replaced the fire door with a non-fire-resisting door. If you can’t tell if the door has been replaced, the resident will need to confirm that it was installed by a competent person and they will need to provide the technical information for the door to the Responsible Person. 
   
   
8. Letterbox 
   Check the letterbox is firmly closed and not jammed open. If the letterbox was installed by the resident, check that it is suitable for use in fire-resisting doors and was fitted by a specialist contractor.
   
   
9. Any other damage or alternations
   Check there is no damage to, or defects in, the door, door frame or the securing wall that might affect the ability to resist the spread of fire or smoke.
   
   

Do’s and don’ts of fire doors

Why Pennington Choices?

Pennington Choices have more than two decades of experience in delivering surveying and consultancy services across the public and private sectors. Our unique all-in-one, end-to-end solutions cover everything from Compartmentation Surveys and EWS1 Forms to Technical Audits and Fire Strategy, ensuring every aspect of your fire safety approach is taken care of.

Our fire safety team have vast technical knowledge, which is supported by practical experience of fire safety risk assessment, management, and action plan development. This means we can provide high quality advice, support, and consultancy where required.