High-rise fire safety: what residents need to know in 2026
Since the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, the UK has passed the Fire Safety Act 2021, the Building Safety Act 2022, and a series of regulations that changed inspection requirements, resident rights, and evacuation strategies for high-rise residential buildings. This guide explains what has changed and what it means for you.
Regulatory timeline
Key changes since Grenfell (2018–2023)
Stay put vs simultaneous evacuation
The traditional "stay put" strategy relies on compartmentation — fire-resistant walls, floors, and fire doors that contain a fire to the flat of origin while occupants in adjacent flats remain safely in place. This strategy is still valid in buildings where compartmentation is intact and confirmed. However, buildings with ACM cladding, combustible render, or inadequate fire doors may be on a simultaneous evacuation strategy — meaning all residents should leave on the alarm. If you do not know which strategy applies to your building, contact your building management company. This information must be displayed in common areas under the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022.
If you are ever unsure — evacuate
If there is any doubt about what strategy applies, or if you can smell smoke, see fire, or your flat becomes smoke-filled, evacuate via the stairs immediately. Close all doors as you leave. Never use the lift. Go to your designated assembly point and do not re-enter.
Fire door checks: what residents can do
Residents can carry out basic checks on their flat entrance door without specialist training. Use the six-point check in our fire door safety guide: confirm the self-closer works, check for gaps greater than 3 mm, look for intact intumescent seals, and check no modifications have been made that would compromise the rating. Report any defect to the building manager in writing. Under the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, flat entrance door inspections are the responsibility of the responsible person — but residents play a critical role in identifying day-to-day defects.
The Building Safety Act 2022: resident rights
The Building Safety Act created a new framework of rights and protections for residents in higher-risk buildings (18 m+). Key points: accountable persons must maintain a resident engagement strategy; residents have the right to request safety information; safety cases must be registered with the BSR; and developers — not leaseholders — are expected to fund remediation of historical cladding defects in most cases. The Act also introduced protections against retaliatory eviction for residents who raise legitimate safety concerns. For a full overview of tenant rights, see our fire safety for renters guide and our Fire Safety Act 2022 explainer.
High-rise fire safety FAQ
Questions about high-rise fire safety
This depends on your building's current fire strategy. The traditional "stay put" advice — remain in your flat until told otherwise — applies only where the building has adequate compartmentation, working fire doors, and no cladding or structural defects. Since Grenfell, many high-rise buildings have moved to "simultaneous evacuation" — meaning everyone leaves when the alarm sounds. Your building manager or responsible person must communicate which strategy applies to your building and display this information in common areas. If you are ever uncertain and can smell smoke, see flames, or your flat fills with smoke — evacuate immediately via the stairs, closing all doors behind you. Never use the lift.
The Building Safety Act 2022 created the Building Safety Regulator (BSR), introduced building safety cases for high-rise residential buildings (18 m+), and gave residents stronger rights to raise safety concerns without fear of retaliatory eviction. Key provisions: accountable persons must register buildings with the BSR; residents can report safety defects; a building safety charge cannot be used to pass remediation costs for developer failures to leaseholders (subject to certain conditions). The Act directly builds on the findings of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. For tenant rights more broadly, see our fire safety for renters guide.
No. Waking watch — a round-the-clock patrol to alert residents in case of fire — was initially required in many buildings with combustible cladding while remediation awaited. The government has been moving away from waking watch as a long-term solution, requiring buildings to install common fire alarm systems instead. The Waking Watch Relief Fund subsidised alarm installation to replace waking watch in eligible buildings. Waking watch is now expected only as a short-term interim measure while an alarm system is installed.
Following the Grenfell Tower fire and subsequent review, the UK government effectively banned combustible materials in the external walls of buildings over 18 m (later 11 m) through revisions to Approved Document B of the Building Regulations. Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding with a polyethylene core (as used at Grenfell) and High Pressure Laminate (HPL) panels with combustible cores are the primary materials targeted. Remediation of affected buildings — replacing dangerous cladding — has been progressing across England, tracked by the government's cladding remediation tracker.
Contact your building management company or landlord directly — they are required to inform leaseholders of any building safety issues under the Building Safety Act 2022. You can also check the government's building remediation tracker if your building is in the publicly tracked programme. The Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE) provides free advice to leaseholders at lease-advice.org. Keep records of all communications with your landlord about building safety issues.