1. Effective from 6 April 2026 and applying to properties in England, the Fire Safety (Residential Evacuation Plans) (England) Regulations 2025 (the Regulations) will introduce additional requirements for responsible persons (as defined in article 3 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety Order) 2005) of “specified residential buildings” in relation to Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs).
2. A specified residential building is one containing two or more sets of domestic premises that also satisfy one of the following height requirements:
(a) at least 18 metres in height above ground level;
(b) at least 7 storeys; or
(c) more than 11 metres in height with a simultaneous evacuation strategy (which means that all residents leave together rather than in phases).
3. The Regulations require the responsible person to identify "relevant residents" within their specified residential buildings. A relevant resident is a person whose ability to evacuate without assistance is compromised due to a cognitive or physical impairment and whose domestic premises within the specified building are their principal (or only) residence.
4. Once relevant residents have been identified, the responsible person must then offer to conduct a "person centred fire risk assessment" for these relevant residents – which involves evaluating the risks posed by the resident's impairment and identifying any mitigating measures that could support their evacuation in the event of a fire.
5. The responsible person should discuss with the relevant resident at the assessment any reasonable and proportionate mitigating measures that the responsible person could take to mitigate the risks identified. These measures may be funded by the responsible person, shared among residents (if benefiting the majority), or paid for by the relevant resident themselves.
6. Following the assessment an "emergency evacuation statement" should be drawn up for the relevant resident to review and agree to. Whilst the responsible person must use reasonable endeavours to agree the emergency evacuation statement with the relevant resident, the decision as to whether to agree the statement lies with the relevant resident.
7. The engagement and consent of the relevant resident is key in the PEEP process. The resident has a choice whether or not to participate in the PEEP process at all and cannot be compelled to do so. A resident can choose whether to agree to their emergency evacuation statement or not and, in addition to this, the resident can decide whether the responsible person can disclose the resident’s information (the prescribed information being the resident’s flat number, the resident’s floor number, basic information regarding the degree of assistance that the resident may require to evacuate the building and whether the resident has an emergency evacuation statement) to the local Fire and Rescue service. Disclosure of the resident’s information can only be done with the explicit consent of the relevant resident and nothing in the Regulations allows for responsible persons to ignore current data protection legislation.
8. In addition to PEEPs, the Regulations require the preparation, by the responsible person, of a "building emergency evacuation plan" (BEEP) for the entire premises. This plan must include instructions for residents, confirmation of the presence of relevant residents, and details of any other evacuation arrangements that relate to the building. The BEEP, along with the prescribed information about each relevant resident detailed above (to the extent the resident has consented to it), must be shared with the local fire and rescue authority and stored in a secure information box (which can be either physical or electronic).
9. The nature of the Regulations mean that responsible persons will have to ensure that compliance with the requirements of the Regulations and documenting that compliance is a priority and that relevant paperwork is kept up to date and renewed where required (every 12 months in most cases). To this end, the government has created an “RP Toolkit” and annex to assist responsible persons by providing a resource to support with their thinking about potential interventions and strategies to support the fire safety of vulnerable residents. The Toolkit collates examples of real-life initiatives already in use in the marketplace that may assist other responsible persons in implementing the requirements of the Regulations in their own buildings. It also provides guidance on how responsible persons can identify relevant residents.
10. The Regulations themselves, although drafted to extend to Wales will not apply to Welsh properties at the effective date. It remains to be seen whether the Welsh enacting legislation will take a slightly different approach to PEEPs as it has with the Building Safety (Wales) Bill.
11. On 2 December 2025 the government updated its factsheet on residential PEEPS and its guidance for responsible persons.
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