The law is called the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
Fire safety law in England and Wales applies in all buildings except inside people’s private dwellings. Premises affected could be things like schools, factories, hotels, offices, and entertainment venues. It also affects the communal areas of a block of flats.
It states that each building needs to have a duty holder or holders who are responsible for mitigating the risk of fire in all nondomestic buildings.
This includes the common parts of flats, apartments, and houses of multiple occupation (HMOs).
The duty holder is called the ‘responsible person’ and is typically the person, organisation or company that controls the building. The responsible person must carry out a fire risk assessment and maintain a fire management plan.
Failure to adhere to the terms of the Fire Safety Order can lead to fines and prison sentences.
