The Fire Safety (Residential Evacuation Plans) (England) Regulations 2025 have recently been passed, and come into force on 6th April 2026. They apply in respect of ‘relevant residents’, who are defined as those ‘whose ability to evacuate the building without assistance in the event of a fire is compromised as a result of cognitive or physical impairment or condition’.
The Regulations apply to residential buildings which are over 18 metres in height, or have at least seven storeys. They also apply to residential buildings over 11 metres in height which have a simultaneous fire evacuation strategy i.e. that all persons must leave the building immediately in the event of a fire.
The Regulations require that the ‘responsible person’ in relation to a relevant building (as defined in the Regulatory Reform Order (Fire Safety) 2005), uses reasonable endeavours to identify ‘relevant residents’. Once identified, ‘relevant residents’ are to be offered a person-centred fire risk assessment by the responsible person for the building, as well as any ‘relevant resident’ who requests one.
Following completion of the person-centred risk assessment, the responsible person must:
- Implement any reasonable and proportionate mitigating measures where costs are borne by them, or are being borne by the ‘relevant resident’.
- Agree and record details of the evacuation plan for the ‘relevant resident’ and provide them with a written statement detailing what they should do in the event of a fire.
- Undertake regular reviews of the person-centred fire risk assessment, which should be at least annually or more frequently where appropriate.
- Provide the local fire and rescue authority of the ‘relevant resident(s)’ details and their evacuation plan arrangements, subject to the ‘relevant resident(s)’ consent.
- Prepare an evacuation plan for the building and share this with the local fire and rescue authority.
- Undertake regular reviews of the building evacuation plan, which should be at least annually.
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