Tenants' rights and fire safety.

Fire safety and rented properties explained

If you live in a rented home – or rent business premises – you have rights. Your landlord should make sure that your accommodation meets fire safety standards. They also need to keep you informed of what to do in an emergency, and make evacuation plans available. 

Fire precautions landlords should organise

1. All flat front doors and doors on shared corridors and staircases must be ‘self-closing’ fire doors
   fire doors
2. These doors must be free to ‘self-close’ properly –  not be held or wedged open. They are designed to stop the spread of fire. 
3. There shouldn't be things stored in corridors or staircases – this can block escape routes and stop firefighters doing their job. If there is a fire, clutter in shared areas can feed it and see it spread faster, so it's much safer to keep these areas clear.
4. Everyone who lives or works in the building needs to know the evacuation plan. 

Fire safety at home

If you live in a rented flat or maisonette, there are some areas of fire safety that are really important to be aware of. 

• If you live in a block of flats, don't use your balcony as an extra storage space – though it can be handy to have the extra space indoors, balconies packed with flammable items can cause a fire to spread much more quickly. 
• If you live above a shop, restaurant or other business, take a look at our living above business premises fire safety guide. 
• Know your escape plan – if there is a fire that isn't inside your flat, it can be much safer to stay put. 
• Be fire safety aware – there's lots of helpful advice over in our home fire safety section.
• Try our Home Fire Safety Checker (HFSC) to guide you through potential risks in your home and get tailored advice.

Isn't fire safety just the landlord's responsibility? 

In a word, no. It's shared between you and your landlord. They are responsible for the measures at the top of this page, but you have things you need to do too. 

It’s important to do all you can to reduce the risk of fire to keep people safe.

You'll need to complete a Fire Risk Assessment, make an Emergency Plan, and ensure that your people have had adequate fire safety training.

There's lots of support and advice available in the Fire Safety at Work section.