Guidance

Fire safety risk assessment: sleeping accommodation

Guidance about completing a fire safety risk assessment for people responsible for sleeping accommodation.

Applies to England

Documents

Fire safety risk assessment: sleeping accommodation

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Details

This guide gives advice about sleeping accommodation for staff, common areas for residents and sleeping, dining or other accommodation for guests/residents including:

  • the common areas of houses in multiple occupation
  • the common areas of flats and maisonettes
  • the common areas of sheltered accommodation where care is not provided
  • bed and breakfasts, guest houses, holiday chalets, holiday flat complexes, camping, caravan and holiday parks (other than privately owned individual units)
  • areas in work places where staff ‘sleeping in’ is a condition of the employment or a business requirement as in licensed premises or hotels

This guide is not intended for domestic premises, hospitals, residential care and nursing homes and prisons and other establishments where people are in lawful custody.

This guide has been published by the Secretary of State under Article 50 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO) to assist responsible persons in meeting their duties under the FSO.

We have also produced a guide, Making your small paying guest accommodation safe from fire, for owners of bed and breakfasts, guest houses and self catering properties about making their premises safe from fire.

Guidance on fire safety provisions for certain types of existing housing (PDF 1.6MB) was produced by Local Authorities Coordinators of Regulatory Services in 2008. It applies to certain existing residential accommodation including single-family dwellings, shared houses, bedsits and flats. It is not aimed at new housing built to modern building regulations. It will be relevant to landlords, managing agents, local councils and fire and rescue authorities.

Fire safety in purpose-built flats was produced by the Local Government Group in 2011. This sector-led guidance was produced after landlords voiced concerns about how best they could deliver an appropriate level of fire safety in purpose-built blocks of flats.

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Published 5 June 2006
Last updated 12 September 2023 + show all updates
  1. Webpage updated to summarise the legislative status of the guidance.

  2. First published.

  3. Added links to LACORS and LG Group publications.