Fire safety can feel like a moving target—different building types, different duty-holders, different contractors, and a steady stream of “have we got the right paperwork?”.
The good news is, most of what keeps residents safe (and keeps your client protected) comes down to a few repeatable habits—clear responsibilities, routine checks, tidy records, and prompt follow-through.
Here are the key things worth tightening right now, with a focus on what block management companies can actually do day to day.
1) Get “Residential PEEPs-ready” ahead of April 2026
From 6 April 2026, the Fire Safety (Residential Evacuation Plans) (England) Regulations 2025 come into force. They’re designed to support residents who may struggle to self-evacuate in an emergency.
In practice, this isn’t about creating paperwork for the sake of it. It’s about having a simple, respectful process to:
- identify residents who may need support (in scope buildings),
- ensure a person-centred approach is taken,
- keep communications clear, and
- make sure actions don’t stall while everyone debates responsibility.
Even when your client is the formal “Responsible Person”, block managers are often the people coordinating access, resident communications, and contractor follow-up—so it’s worth getting your workflow ready now.
2) Treat the Fire Safety (England) Regulations as “routine operations”
The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 introduced additional duties under the Fire Safety Order and came into force on 23 January 2023.
Where block management adds real value is making sure these duties don’t become a once-a-year scramble. For higher-risk buildings, that typically means:
- Keeping required plans and building information current and easy to produce (not “somewhere on a laptop”).
- Making sure the secure information box (where required) is installed, stocked, and kept updated.
- Maintaining a clear log of checks and issues relating to lifts and key firefighting equipment (and ensuring defects are chased properly).
A helpful mindset: aim to be able to answer “show me” questions quickly—what’s the last check, what did it find, what did we do next?
3) If you’re managing works, make sure the project team is using the current ADB position
If you’re involved in refurbishments, conversions or major works, it’s worth knowing that the 2025 amendments to Approved Document B take effect on 2 March 2025 (England).
This matters because “fire strategy” decisions often get made early—then copied into specs and carried forward. Block managers can add a lot of stability here by simply ensuring everyone is referencing the same, current guidance and documenting decisions properly (especially where responsibilities cross between freeholder, managing agent, and contractor).
4) Don’t forget non-domestic areas: alarms and compliance expectations move on
Many blocks have commercial units, offices, plant rooms, or shared back-of-house areas. BS 5839-1:2025 (non-domestic fire detection and alarm systems) was published 30 April 2025.
You don’t need to be a standards specialist—but you do want confidence that your maintenance provider is aligned to current expectations, and that your documentation (zones, logs, faults, action tracking) is organised and complete.
5) Manage the “temporary” risks during works (this is where good process really helps)
A lot of fire risk appears during routine works: doors wedged open, fire stopping disturbed, detectors isolated, poor housekeeping, hot works. The best way to reduce this risk is boring—but effective:
- agreed work scopes and method statements
- permit-to-work where needed
- daily checks on housekeeping and compartmentation
- clear sign-off that anything isolated is reinstated
A simple 30-day action plan
- Confirm duty-holders and responsibilities per building (and write it down).
- Audit your fire safety documents: plans, certificates, logs, actions.
- Pressure-test contractor response: quality of reporting, not just attendance.
- Create a one-page “fire actions tracker” and use it every month.
- Start PEEPs readiness planning for buildings likely in scope for April 2026.
How Langford Estates can help
Fire safety compliance is rarely one big fix—it’s the steady routines that protect residents and reduce risk: the right checks, the right records, the right contractors, and consistent follow-through.
Langford Estates supports landlords and managing clients by coordinating day-to-day fire safety management across blocks and estates—arranging inspections and servicing, managing contractors, keeping documentation in order, and tracking actions through to completion.
We also help put simple, practical processes in place for resident communications and reporting, so nothing slips through the cracks.