Fire safety compliance London shared living developments: How to ensure compliance for London’s newest shared living developments in 2025
Why this matters now
fire safety compliance London shared living developments is the focus of this guide, and in this article you will learn practical, legally informed strategies to bring new shared living schemes in London up to standard in 2025. I explain legal duties, design and management measures, inspection and testing regimes, and short- and medium-term steps that developers, property managers and responsible persons should take to reduce risk and meet regulatory expectations.
Shared living schemes are growing fast across London. They often combine multiple private units, communal spaces and complex circulation routes. Because of that mix, ensuring robust fire safety is essential from design to occupation. Recent statutory changes and updated standards have raised expectations for record keeping, risk assessment and building design. You must plan for these changes now to avoid costly retrofit, enforcement action, or worse, harm to residents. (gov.uk)
Key responsibilities and the regulatory landscape
First, identify who the Responsible Person is under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. That person holds the duty to carry out, record and act on fire risk assessments. Next, understand how the Fire Safety Act 2021 and the Building Safety Act 2022 affect shared living developments. These laws clarify that external walls, cladding and flat entrance doors must be included in risk assessments and create a new higher-risk building regime for tall residential blocks. If a new development meets the higher-risk threshold (18 metres or seven storeys), it falls under the Building Safety Regulator’s in-occupation requirements. (gov.uk)
Design-stage measures to embed compliance
Adopt a fire strategy early. Engage designers, the principal contractor and fire consultants at the planning stage. This reduces complex retrofit later. Use the updated BS 9991 guidance for residential buildings to inform compartmentation, means of escape, smoke control and sprinkler decisions. Where single-stepped staircases are proposed, consider NFCC position statements that favour multiple escape routes for high-rise residential blocks. Designing with these expectations in mind will make approval and handover smoother. (bsigroup.com, nfcc.org.uk)
Design early and design to standards: early engagement reduces retrofit, speeds approvals and improves resident safety.
Practical fire-safety features to specify
Compartmentation: Ensure robust fire-resisting walls and floors between units and common parts. Fire-stopping around services must be detailed and verified during and after installation.
Fire doors: Use doors conforming to the latest classifications recommended in BS 9991, and record door schedules for maintenance.
Detection and alarms: Install grade-appropriate detection and alarm systems. For shared living, consider interlinked detectors in communal areas and individual alarm systems in private units where guidance suggests.
Sprinklers and water suppression: Where the scheme is tall or houses vulnerable occupants, specify sprinkler systems as part of the design. The NFCC has been clear that sprinklers provide a significant safety benefit.
Escape routes: Provide at least one clearly protected route; however, for taller blocks, provide more than one. Design escape stairs to be protected and to avoid introducing single points of failure. (bsigroup.com, nfcc.org.uk)
Managing risk in communal and mixed-use areas
Shared living developments often include kitchens, lounges, gyms and co-working areas. These generate higher ignition sources and more complex evacuation needs. Therefore:
Create clear fire-safety arrangements for each communal space and record them in your fire-safety management plan.
Introduce strict hot-work and contractor controls for any maintenance that affects compartmentation.
Communicate rules to residents, including no-blocking-escape policies, safe cooking guidance and smoking restrictions. The Home Office guidance for shared or rented accommodation remains a helpful practical resource for resident-facing messaging.
Fire risk assessment: scope, frequency and record keeping
Carry out a full fire risk assessment before occupation and whenever the use or structure changes. The Building Safety Act amendments require recording the findings of all FRAs and identifying the person who undertook them. That means you should:
Use a suitably competent assessor and document their details.
Include external walls, balconies and flat entrance doors in scope.
Record not only significant findings but all findings, per the updated expectation for Responsible Persons.
Review FRAs annually or more frequently where occupancy or use changes. The government’s Fire Risk Assessment Prioritisation Tool can help determine assessment priorities for large portfolios. (gov.uk)
Commissioning, handover and snagging checks
Before residents move in, conduct staged inspections and a full commissioning programme. Check and certify: alarms, emergency lighting, sprinklers, fire doors and fire-stopping. Keep commissioning records and hand them to the building manager. Where third-party installers deliver works, require competence evidence and warranties.
Total Safe fire risk assessment services and Total Safe fire safety services include commissioning checks and maintenance packages. (totalsafeuk.com)
Competence, training and resident engagement
You must ensure the people who manage and maintain the building are competent. Provide tailored fire marshal and evacuation training for staff and contractors. Train concierge teams and on-site staff in the building’s evacuation strategy and the use of lifesaving equipment. In parallel, give residents clear, accessible information on fire procedures and how to report faults.
A person-centred approach, supported by NFCC guidance, helps protect residents with additional needs.
Inspection, maintenance and testing regimes
Put in place a documented maintenance schedule for life-safety systems. This should include weekly checks where appropriate, routine testing of fire detection and alarm systems, six-monthly emergency lighting tests, annual sprinkler inspections and regular fire door checks. Keep logs accessible and auditable. Good records demonstrate due diligence to auditors and regulators and can reduce enforcement risk.
Dealing with external walls, cladding and higher-risk designations
External walls and cladding remain a high-profile risk area. The Fire Safety Act requires these elements to be included in FRAs, and the Building Safety Act introduced a higher-risk building regime with additional requirements. Therefore, identify whether your development is classed as higher-risk (by height or storeys) and plan for regulatory engagement.
If external wall materials are combustible or uncertain, prioritise inspections, testing and remediation plans. Use independent materials tests and expert advice where necessary. (gov.uk)
Short-term and medium-term actions checklist (practical)
Short-term (pre-occupation)
- Complete a full fire risk assessment that includes external walls and flat entrance doors.
- Complete commissioning and retain certificates for all life-safety systems.
- Deliver staff and resident induction on evacuation procedures.
- Medium-term (0–12 months)
- Implement a planned maintenance schedule and record-keeping system.
- Repair or upgrade any deficient compartmentation or fire doors.
- Reassess the need for sprinklers or enhanced smoke control in communal areas.
Longer-term (12+ months)
Review the building against BS 9991:2024 recommendations and update procedures as needed.
Engage proactively with the Building Safety Regulator if the building is higher-risk.
These steps will help you demonstrate continuous improvement and compliance to regulators and residents. (bsigroup.com, gov.uk)
Record keeping and digital tools
Good records reduce liability and speed up responses. Keep a digital log of FRAs, commissioning certificates, weekly and monthly test records, and contractor competence documents. Use a cloud-based compliance system so authorised managers can retrieve documentation during regulator requests or resident queries. The government’s requirement to record FRA findings increases the importance of reliable record keeping. (gov.uk)
Working with fire and rescue services and the regulator
It pays to build a constructive relationship with the local fire and rescue service and the Building Safety Regulator where applicable. Share your fire strategy, evacuation plans and key contact details. Work collaboratively on evacuation planning for vulnerable residents. Where enforcement action is a risk, early engagement often leads to better outcomes than reactive responses.
NFCC procedural guidance and London Fire Brigade guidance underline the benefit of early consultation between building control bodies and fire services.
When to seek specialist support
If you encounter complex issues such as uncertain cladding, ambiguous compartmentation, or a need to change an evacuation strategy, use competent specialist consultants and contractors. Total Safe provides expert assessments, remedial works and managed maintenance for shared living schemes. Engaging expertise early can limit delay and cost, and will better protect residents. About Total Safe.
Conclusion and recommended next steps
To summarise, fire safety compliance for London’s newest shared living developments requires early design-stage thinking, clear allocation of responsibility, up-to-date risk assessment and rigorous record keeping. Start by confirming the Responsible Person, complete a full FRA that includes external walls and flat entrance doors, and commission systems to modern standards. Then, implement a documented testing and maintenance regime and provide targeted training for staff and residents. Finally, engage the right experts and the local fire and rescue service early when issues arise. Following these steps will reduce risk, demonstrate due diligence and simplify regulatory compliance in 2025. (gov.uk, bsigroup.com)
If you would like hands-on support, Total Safe can conduct FRAs, commissioning checks and planned maintenance for shared living developments. For practical assistance tailored to your building, contact the Total Safe team through their services pages. Total Safe services and maintenance. For further reading on legal duties and technical standards, consult the government guidance on higher-risk buildings and the BSI update to BS 9991. (gov.uk, bsigroup.com)
FAQ
Q: Who is the Responsible Person for a shared living development?
A: The Responsible Person is the individual or organisation with control of the premises, such as the owner, freeholder or managing agent, who must ensure a fire risk assessment is carried out and recorded under the Fire Safety Order. (gov.uk)
Q: Must external walls and flat entrance doors be included in the fire risk assessment?
A: Yes. The Fire Safety Act 2021 clarifies that external walls, cladding, balconies and flat entrance doors fall within the scope of fire risk assessments for multi-occupied residential buildings. (gov.uk)
Q: When does a building become a higher-risk building under the Building Safety Act?
A: A building is likely classed as higher-risk for the in-occupation regime if it has at least two residential units and is 18 metres or taller, or has seven or more storeys. Higher-risk status brings extra regulatory obligations. (gov.uk)
Q: Should new shared living developments install sprinklers?
A: Sprinklers significantly reduce fire spread and harm, and the NFCC advocates their wider use, especially in taller or vulnerable-occupant buildings. Consider sprinklers at the design stage and use risk-based justification if opting out. (fia.uk.com)
Q: Where can I find authoritative technical guidance for residential fire safety?
A: Refer to the updated BS 9991 code of practice for residential buildings, and to government guidance on higher-risk buildings and fire safety duties. These sources give technical, legal and procedural direction for designers and Responsible Persons. (bsigroup.com, gov.uk)
