Countdown to Section 156 Building Safety Act – amendments to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order

Section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022 makes a number of amendments to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 to improve fire safety in all buildings regulated by the Order. The provision, which appears in the statute’s table of contents under the sub-heading Fire safety, is now beginning to gain attention as it will come into force on 1 October 2023, which is just over 6 weeks away.

The amendment of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 will place a number of new legal duties on ‘responsible persons’ (RPs) and it also changes what must be recorded within a fire risk assessment. The changes are designed to drive a more cohesive approach to fire safety throughout the entire building. They will also require the RP to give residents comprehensible and relevant information about the relevant fire safety matters of the building.

We have prepared a briefing to help stakeholders get their heads around the new requirements; for further information, please contact one of the authors named at the end of the briefing.