What the October 2023 fire safety rules require in writing

Before October 2023, a responsible person only had to record the significant findings of a fire risk assessment if they employed 5 or more people, held a licence, or had been served an alterations notice. Smaller premises could rely on an unwritten assessment.

Section 156 removed those conditions from article 9 of the Fire Safety Order. It also removed the word "significant", so the record must cover all the findings. The changes came into force on 1 October 2023 in both England and Wales.

GOV.UK's section 156 guidance sets out each duty in plain English.

Article 21A of the Fire Safety Order applies to buildings with 2 or more sets of domestic premises. The responsible person must give residents relevant information about:

• The risks identified in the fire risk assessment
• The preventive and protective measures in place
• The responsible person's name and UK address
• The identity of anyone appointed to help with the fire risk assessment

This sits alongside the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, which require fire safety instructions and fire door information for residents in buildings with 2 or more flats and common parts.

Yes. The old threshold of 5 or more employees no longer applies, so a shop with 1 member of staff, a small office or a landlord of a converted house with 2 flats must all keep a written record of the full fire risk assessment. The size of the business changes how detailed the assessment needs to be, but every responsible person needs the record.

Yes. Where more than one responsible person has duties in a building, such as a freeholder and a commercial tenant on the ground floor, each must take reasonable steps to find the others, cooperate and share information. A responsible person who leaves must pass relevant fire safety information to whoever takes over.

Section 156 removed the cap on fines for some offences that were previously limited to level 3 on the standard scale. The most serious offences under article 32 still carry an unlimited fine, up to 2 years in prison, or both, on conviction on indictment.

Section 156 inserted article 9A into the Order, requiring anyone who assists the responsible person with a fire risk assessment to be competent. GOV.UK says article 9A will come into force at a later date. Separately, the government consulted on mandatory certification for fire risk assessors from 26 March to 18 June 2026. At 9 October 2026 no response had been published.

Every Garrison FM report records the full findings, the fire safety arrangements seen on the day, and the names and organisation of the assessor and the reviewing assessor. For blocks of flats, the action plan covers the information residents need under article 21A and the 2022 Regulations.