Property managers and managing agents often sit at the centre of a building’s day-to-day fire safety arrangements. They coordinate contractors, maintain records, arrange inspections and communicate with residents or occupiers. But the legal responsibility can be more complex than simply being the person who books the work.
Who is legally responsible?
Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, fire-safety duties fall on the Responsible Person and other persons with control of relevant premises. In a managed building this can include owners, freeholders, employers, management companies and, depending on the arrangements, managing agents.
A managing agent may be appointed to carry out day-to-day duties, but the underlying legal responsibility remains with the relevant Responsible Person or persons. Government guidance explains the duties of people with control of premises in its guide for persons with fire-safety responsibilities.
Core fire-safety tasks for property managers
- Arrange and keep under review a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment.
- Track remedial actions through to completion instead of treating the report as the end of the process.
- Maintain fire doors, detection systems, emergency lighting and other fire precautions.
- Keep records of inspections, tests, repairs and contractor visits.
- Coordinate access to flats, common areas, plant rooms and other relevant spaces.
- Make sure residents, staff and contractors receive the fire-safety information relevant to them.
- Review arrangements after building works, changes of use, changes in occupancy or significant incidents.
Managing a portfolio of buildings
The main challenge for a property manager is often consistency. A single building may be manageable through a spreadsheet, but a portfolio can quickly create gaps in inspection dates, remedial actions and evidence.
A useful compliance system should show which buildings have current assessments, which actions remain outstanding, which fire doors require attention and when inspections or reviews are due. Photographic records and consistent door references can make large remedial programmes much easier to control.
Blocks of flats and resident information
For blocks of flats in England, duties can extend beyond the common areas. The Fire Safety Act 2021 clarified the application of the Fire Safety Order to the structure, external walls and flat entrance doors between domestic premises and common parts.
The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 also require resident information about fire doors in relevant multi-occupied residential buildings, with additional routine door-check requirements for buildings where the top storey is more than 11 metres above ground level. See the official fire door guidance.
Fire risk assessments and fire door inspections should work together
A fire risk assessment considers the overall fire risk and the adequacy of existing precautions. A dedicated fire door inspection can provide a door-by-door record of condition and defects. For managed residential blocks, using both can give the property manager a clearer picture of building-wide risk and specific remedial tasks.
Property management services: If you manage one building or a wider portfolio, see our dedicated fire safety support for property managers and managing agents.
Need help with fire safety compliance?
We provide independent fire risk assessments and fire door inspections for managing agents, landlords and property-management portfolios across the UK. Contact SJ Fire Safety Consultants to discuss your building or portfolio.