There has been a lot of confusion around the changes to the fire safety legislative requirements that were enhanced in October 2023.
There is a new requirement for holiday lets within certain criteria to have a fire risk assessment completed that identifies the ignition sources, the combustible materials and takes account of the occupancy. This is a simplified version.
Fire risk within occupied buildings needs to focus on life safety. Insurers would advise enhancing your precautions to reduce the fire risk to property as they would rather not pay out any more than they have to.
Fire safety can be summarised in three sections.
Protection - This is the active (fire alarms and firefighting equipment) and passive (walls and doors providing a separation between rooms.
Prevention - This is how you maintain the property and manage things like rubbish and checking electrical appliances are not likely to start a fire.
Response - This is what to do in the event of a fire. This will include where to go to the nearest exit and who to call (fire service). So, if there is a need to show occupants which way to go to escape, you may need to put directional signs above doors. You could also include emergency procedures in your pre stay information and place a fire action notice at the front and back doors.
This is a very simple explanation. Having served for 30 years in the Fire and Rescue Service and currently running a fire safety business, I am able to interpret the FSO.
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