New Fire Safety Guide for Your Short Term Rental Property

New Fire Safety Regulations: Your Guide on How to Protect Your Home and Your Guests

Ensuring the safety of your property and guests is paramount, and staying up-to-date with fire safety guidelines is essential for holiday letting hosts.

As the government gears up to introduce new fire safety regulations for holiday homes in England, we’re here to provide you with the essential information to make this transition seamless.

Starting from the 1st of October 2023, comprehensive fire risk assessments will become a legal requirement for all properties. To shed light on these regulations, the government has also issued fresh guidance that specifically pertains to properties categorised as ‘small paying guest accommodation.’ This classification includes:

• Single Premises: Ground floor, or ground and first floor setups, offering sleeping accommodation for a maximum of 10 persons, with no more than four bedrooms on the first floor.

OR

• Individual Flats: This encompasses flats within purpose-built blocks or converted houses, excluding unusually large flats.

To help you understand these new regulations, we have pulled out and examined what is needed with the new regulations and how these can be implemented into your holiday home. 

Stay Compliant with the Latest Regulations: Regulations can change, so it’s essential that you stay informed about any updates and ensure your property is compliant. Keys In Our Hands will help you keep abreast of changing regulations.

Conduct Regular Fire Risk Assessments (FRA): We recommend having a professionally conducted Fire Risk Assessment (FRA), and to check this as periodic intervals yourself. Ensure that all potential fire risks are identified and appropriately managed. Document the findings and any necessary actions. We have clear policies in place to ensure that there are no “additional risks” in place for your property. This includes: a no candle policy in all properties, ensuring that there is extra lighting for escape routes, and fire resistant doors where applicable. 

Install and Maintain Fire Safety Equipment: Equip your property with essential fire safety equipment, including smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, and fire blankets. Ensure that all equipment is regularly maintained, and batteries in smoke detectors are changed as needed. The new legislation advises that it is PREFERABLE that all smoke and heat alarms should

be mains powered with a tamper-proof standby power supply consisting of a battery. However, wireless smoke, heat and CO2 detectors can be installed – these have to meet the BS5839-6 Grade D1 standards – which means the batteries are sealed and last up to ten years and they work with radio signals, so no internet is required. 

If you need any help with your property and ensuring that your holiday home is compliant with all of the new guidelines, please contact the SLS Team and they will be able to help you to find the best solution for you and your property.