Fire Safety Act 2021 - Any Resulting Changes to Residential Communal Areas FRA’s?

[Guest Rob Smith]

We are 3 shared Freeholders in a Victorian conversion house with a single communal stair (circa 15m2 total area, no storage, no meter cupboards, hanging light fittings, hot nut tested carpeting, water based mat emulsion walls, water based acrylic eggshell woodwork) serving the 3 flats from the Main Street level front door.

As shared Freeholders I understand we are the ‘Responsible People’ to undertake a Fire Risk Assessment of the communal stair and that we need to demonstrate after review of guidance documents, etc. that we are ‘competent’ should we decide to undertake our own FRA and that this can most likely be a verbal assessment however will more than likely complete a SafeLincs standard proforma or similar. I am getting quotes for a professional FRA which will no doubt be between £250 and £350 even though the area is small and simple, however we need to move quickly for sale reasons.

So my question is: has the new Fire Safety Act 2021 changed any of the guidance as to how the FRA would be undertaken from the previous 2005 Fire Safety Order?

 

 

 

[AnthonyB]

Yes - extra areas must be included - see: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fire-safety-act-addendum/fire-safety-act-addendum