Fire Safety Act 2022: what renters need to know
A wave of fire safety legislation passed since 2022 has changed what landlords must do and strengthened the rights of tenants in multi-occupied buildings. Here is what changed, who it applies to, and what you can do if your landlord is not complying.
The legislation
Key changes since 2022 — at a glance
| Regulation | Scope | Key effect | Primary duty holder |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fire Safety Act 2022 | Multi-occupied residential buildings (England & Wales) | Clarifies that the external walls, flat entrance doors and common areas of residential buildings are within scope of the RRO 2005 fire risk assessment. | Building owners / responsible persons |
| Fire Safety (England) Regs 2022 | Multi-occupied residential buildings in England | Mandates quarterly (or monthly, high-rise) fire door checks, lift checks, equipment checks, and building information boxes for buildings 18 m+. | Responsible persons / managing agents |
| Smoke & CO Alarm (Amendment) Regs 2022 | All private rented properties in England | Extends CO alarm requirement to every room with a fixed combustion appliance; requires alarms in working order at start of each tenancy. | All landlords |
| Building Safety Act 2022 | High-rise residential buildings 18 m+ (England) | Creates the Building Safety Regulator (BSR); introduces building safety cases; gives residents more rights to raise safety concerns. | Building owners / residents |
What the Fire Safety Act 2022 actually does
The Fire Safety Act 2022 amended the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO) to clarify that the fire risk assessment for multi-occupied residential buildings must include the building's structure, external walls (including cladding), and all flat entrance doors. Before the Act, there was legal ambiguity — the Grenfell Tower Inquiry revealed that some responsible persons excluded cladding from their assessments. The Act removes that ambiguity. The consequence for renters: your landlord is now legally required to have assessed the fire risk posed by the building's outer walls and your flat's front door as part of the fire risk assessment.
Fire door checks: what your landlord must do
Under the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, responsible persons must carry out regular checks of fire doors in common areas. The frequency depends on the building height:
Any multi-occupied building
Quarterly
Checks of all fire doors in communal areas (corridors, lobbies, stairwells)
Buildings 11 m or taller
Monthly
Checks of all communal fire doors; plus annual checks of each flat entrance door
High-rise: 18 m or taller
Monthly + weekly lifts
Full communal door checks monthly; weekly lift and fire-fighting equipment checks; building info box required
Each check must confirm the door closes fully from any position without manual assistance, self-closers are functional, seals and intumescent strips are intact, and hinges and ironmongery are secure. For full details on what makes a compliant fire door, see the fire door glossary entry.
Smoke and CO alarms: the 2022 update
The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022 (in force October 2022) tightened requirements for all private landlords in England. The key change: CO alarms are now required in any room containing a fixed combustion appliance — which includes gas boilers, not just open fires or solid fuel appliances as the previous rules stated. This matters because a boiler cupboard in a hallway now requires a CO alarm. For placement guidance, see our smoke alarm placement guide.
Your rights as a tenant
You have the right to request a copy of the current fire risk assessment for common areas of your building — responsible persons must make it available to residents on request under the RRO 2005 (as amended by the Fire Safety Act 2022). For flats in high-rise buildings, the responsible person must also proactively share fire safety information with residents at least annually. If your landlord refuses, this is a potential enforcement matter for the local fire service.
What to do if your landlord is not complying
If you believe your landlord is failing to meet fire safety obligations, document everything — photograph defects (propped-open fire doors, missing closers, damaged seals) and keep a log of requests and responses. Then report to:
- Local council Housing Standards / Environmental Health — for general rental property conditions including smoke and CO alarms
- Local Fire and Rescue Service — for fire risk assessment failures and fire door compliance under the RRO 2005
- Building Safety Regulator (BSR) — for high-rise buildings (18 m+) in England, via the HSE website
Retaliatory eviction for reporting safety concerns is prohibited under the Deregulation Act 2015 in England. For a complete overview of your rights and your landlord's duties, see our fire safety for renters guide.
Renters FAQ
Questions about the Fire Safety Act 2022
The Fire Safety Act 2022 applies specifically to multi-occupied residential buildings in England and Wales — blocks of flats, houses in multiple occupation (HMOs), and purpose-built student accommodation. It does not directly regulate single-occupancy private rental properties, which are covered separately by the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015 (as amended 2022). If you rent a room in a shared house (HMO), you are protected by both regimes. For a full overview of tenant rights, see our fire safety for renters guide.
The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 (made under the Fire Safety Act) impose specific duties on responsible persons in multi-occupied residential buildings. For buildings with two or more storeys: quarterly checks of all fire doors in common areas and annual checks of flat entrance doors. For buildings 11 metres or taller: monthly checks of communal fire doors, annual flat entrance door checks, regular fire-fighting equipment checks. For buildings 18 metres or taller (high-rise): weekly lift checks, monthly checks of key fire-fighting equipment, electronic building information to be shared with the local fire service, and a building information box at the premises. These are minimum requirements — the fire risk assessment may require more frequent checks.
If your landlord is failing to meet fire safety obligations, you have several routes: (1) Report to your local Housing Standards or Environmental Health department — councils have enforcement powers under the Housing Act 2004 (HHSRS). (2) Contact the local fire and rescue service — they can inspect premises and issue enforcement notices under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. (3) In England, report serious concerns to the Building Safety Regulator (for high-rise buildings). Keep a record of all requests and communications. You cannot be legally evicted for reporting legitimate safety concerns — this is protected under retaliatory eviction rules in the Deregulation Act 2015. For a broader overview of your rights, see our fire safety for renters guide.
Yes. The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022 (effective October 2022) require landlords in England to: install at least one smoke alarm on every storey used as living accommodation; install a CO alarm in any room with a fixed combustion appliance (including gas boilers, not just open fires); ensure all alarms are in working order at the start of each tenancy. Tenants are responsible for testing alarms regularly during the tenancy and reporting faults. See our smoke alarm placement guide for testing and siting advice.