Library FAQ: building and fire safety

The Law Society Library maintains a database of enquiries called Common Queries. These include results from research to find forms, precedents, rules, regulations, and guidance. These records can be accessed via the library catalogue and copies supplied via Lawdocs, our document supply service.

Building regulations and fire safety

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 is the main legislation governing fire precautions, fire safety duties and their enforcement. That Order repealed the Fire Precautions Act 1971 and the Smoke Detectors Act 1991. The Building Safety Act 2022 amends the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 to strengthen fire safety requirements for non-domestic premises which include the common parts of high-rise residential buildings subject to the new regime and places fire safety duties on the responsible person (RP) who has control of these premises.

Source: Halsbury’s Laws of England, Vol. 51: Fire and rescue services (2022), para 3.

The independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety (the Hackett Review) that was commissioned following the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy (30 August 2017) is available online at gov.uk.

The latest editions of building regulations Approved Documents can be found online on gov.uk.

The Law Society has publsihed Building Safety Act 2022: a guide for conveyancers.

Building regulations guidance, can be found on the Local Authority Building Control (LABC) website, including archived versions of Approved Documents.

The library holds the Buildings regulations and Fire safety procedural guidance, 4th ed. (July 2007), and old editions of Building Regulations 1985, 1991 and 2000 approved documents, up until 2016.

Commentary and precedents related to fire safety can be found in the following resources.

Billington, The building regulations explained and illustrated, 14^th ed. (2017), Chapter 7: Fire (Part B).

Encyclopaedia of forms and precedents

Vol 17(3) Health and safety at work (2023)

• para 22 [2097]: Fire authorities: health and safety enforcement
• para 58 [2302]: The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 [SI 2005/1541]
• form 60: Risk assessment checklist for the workplace: fire and fire precautions where there are dangerous substances and the risk of explosive atmospheres
• form 61: Risk assessment checklist for the workplace: fire precautions : compliance with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
• form 63: Risk assessment checklist for the workplace: fire drills

Vol. 23(4) Landlord and tenant (residential tenancies) (2023)

• form 71: Deed of certificate: leaseholder: Building Safety Act 2022: England. This form is Crown copyright. It is for use in England as an evidential record that a leasehold property is eligible for protection in relation to costs involved in fire safety remediation works to relevant buildings.
• form 72: Notice—landlord to leaseholder: leaseholder deed of certificate: Building Safety Act 2022, schedule 8 paras 13 and 15: This precedent is for use in England in connection with protection in relation to costs involved in fire safety remediation works to relevant buildings.

Vol. 25(3)A Leasehold flat schemes (Long leases) (2023)

• section 10: building and fire safety reform

Last updated March 2024