Fire Risk Assessments for Blocks of Flats and Communal Areas

A residential building can contain many private homes, but the areas between those homes still need to be managed as one building. Corridors, staircases, entrance halls, service cupboards, plant rooms, refuse areas and shared escape routes are used by residents every day and can affect how safely people are protected if a fire occurs.

For freeholders, landlords, residents’ management companies and managing agents, these shared areas are a central part of day-to-day responsibility. The person controlling them needs to know whether routes remain suitable, whether relevant doors are being maintained, whether combustible materials are being managed and whether previous recommendations have actually been completed.

The Fire Safety Act 2021 clarified that, in multi-occupied residential buildings, the Fire Safety Order also applies to the building structure, external walls and flat entrance doors between domestic premises and common parts. Those elements therefore need to be considered within the fire risk assessment where they fall within scope.

ClearFire carries out fire risk assessments for blocks of flats and other managed residential buildings. The purpose is to give the person responsible a clear record of what was found in the areas they control and what needs attention afterwards.

Why communal areas matter

The shared parts of a residential building are where day-to-day management becomes most visible. Residents rely on the same stairs, corridors and exits, while maintenance contractors may need access to electrical cupboards, plant rooms and other service areas.

A corridor that was clear during the previous visit may later contain bicycles, pushchairs, parcels or furniture. A communal door may stop closing correctly. A service cupboard may gradually become a convenient storage area. Emergency lighting may have been tested, but the records may be difficult to find.

These issues need to be considered in the context of the whole building. Something that looks like a small maintenance or housekeeping problem can become more important when it affects an escape route or an area intended to restrict the spread of smoke and fire.

Who may be responsible for the building

Responsibility depends on who controls the common parts and other relevant elements. Depending on the ownership and management structure, that could be the freeholder, landlord, residents’ management company, Right to Manage company, housing provider or managing agent.

More than one organisation may be involved. A freeholder may appoint an agent to arrange maintenance and contractors, while directors of a management company approve expenditure. Leaseholders may also have responsibilities relating to their own flat entrance doors or alterations made to their property.

These arrangements need to be understood rather than assumed. Appointing somebody else to organise work does not remove the need for clear oversight of the assessment, the recommendations and the evidence that work has been completed.

What the fire risk assessment should cover

Every building needs to be considered on its own merits. A converted period property containing a handful of flats will not necessarily present the same questions as a purpose-built development. Layout, construction, height, occupancy, escape arrangements and management all affect what the assessor needs to consider.

The common parts are a major focus. The assessor will look at escape routes, staircases, corridors, communal doors, service areas and other spaces used collectively. Flat entrance doors also form part of the wider fire safety arrangements because they separate individual homes from common escape routes.

The building structure and external walls also fall within the scope of the Fire Safety Order for multi-occupied residential buildings. Where a detailed external wall appraisal is needed, that can require specialist input beyond a routine site assessment.

Areas that commonly need attention

Flat entrance doors have a wider role

A resident may think of their front door as part of their own home, but it also helps separate that home from the communal area outside. Where a flat opens onto a corridor or staircase, the performance of the entrance door can affect the protection of the shared escape route.

Wear, damage or unsuitable alterations can reduce that protection. Closing devices may stop working correctly, or replacement doors may have been chosen without enough consideration of their fire performance. Locks, letterboxes and other alterations can also affect the door set.

The assessment should identify visible concerns and make clear where further inspection, repair or specialist advice is needed. For a managing agent, this can also involve arranging access and communicating with individual leaseholders or residents.

Communal storage needs consistent management

Storage in shared areas is a common management issue. Corridors and landings can gradually collect pushchairs, bicycles, shoe racks, mobility equipment, deliveries and household belongings because residents see unused space and begin to use it.

The risk depends on what is being stored, where it is located and how the escape route is intended to work. The answer is not always a blanket rule applied without thought, but an unmanaged approach can allow the situation to worsen over time.

Clear expectations help. Residents need to understand what is permitted and why some areas need to remain clear. Routine checks and consistent communication are usually more effective than repeatedly removing items after the same problem returns.

Fire doors need to be managed between visits

Fire doors are used every day, which means hinges, closers and other components can wear. Doors can also be damaged during moves or deliveries, while residents or contractors may interfere with them without understanding the consequences.

Communal doors are sometimes held open because they are inconvenient. Where this happens repeatedly, the management team needs to understand the behaviour rather than simply removing a wedge each time.

Records can help show what has been inspected, what defects were found and what repairs were completed. Without that history, the same issue can appear in successive reports with little evidence of what happened in between.

Converted properties can present different questions

Some residential buildings began life as large houses, offices or other premises before being divided into flats. Their fire safety arrangements may have developed through several rounds of conversion and refurbishment rather than being designed as one complete system from the beginning.

This can make the building harder to understand. Service routes may have been altered, doors replaced and layouts changed, while records of older work may be limited. That does not mean the property is automatically unsafe, but it does mean assumptions should be avoided.

A current assessment provides a useful baseline for a landlord or managing agent taking responsibility for an older converted property because it records what can be established from the building and available information now.

Resident information should match the building

Residents need to know what they should do if there is a fire. The correct advice depends on the arrangements for that particular property and should not simply be copied from another building.

New residents also need suitable information. A notice in the entrance hall may help, but it should not be assumed that everyone has read it or understands how the instructions apply to them.

Where building works, management arrangements or recurring behaviour affect fire safety, communication should explain what residents need to know and what is expected of them. This should be part of normal property management rather than something that only happens after an assessment.

Why managing agents need clear actions

Once the site visit is complete, the managing agent may need to obtain quotations, report to directors or freeholders, communicate with residents and keep evidence that recommendations have been completed.

A vague recommendation can create unnecessary delay. The property manager needs to understand what was found, why it matters and whether another specialist is required. They should also be able to distinguish between something needing prompt attention and a matter that can be handled through planned maintenance.

ClearFire writes reports with that use in mind so the document supports the next decision rather than leaving the agent to interpret what the assessor meant.

Landlords and freeholders still need oversight

A freeholder may appoint a managing agent to handle day-to-day work, but there still needs to be visibility of significant fire safety matters. The people responsible for the property should know whether the assessment is current, whether important actions remain open and whether routine maintenance is being completed.

Gaps often appear when information changes hands. A contractor may finish work without returning documentation, or a new managing agent may receive only part of the previous fire safety file. Good oversight means there is a clear route from identifying an issue to recording what has been done about it.

That record becomes particularly useful if residents, insurers, directors or enforcing authorities later ask how a particular matter has been managed.

When the assessment should be reviewed

The fire risk assessment needs to remain relevant to the property. Refurbishment, changes to common areas, alterations to doors, significant new information or a change in management may all mean the existing report needs attention sooner.

Residential buildings also change gradually. Residents move, doors wear, storage habits change and maintenance records can develop gaps. These changes may not trigger a major project, but together they can alter the way the building is managed.

The assessment is most useful when it remains connected to the current condition of the property rather than being treated as a document that only needs attention when somebody asks to see it.

Fire risk assessments for residential buildings with ClearFire

ClearFire works with freeholders, landlords, residents’ management companies and managing agents across Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire. Jon and Kevin carry out the assessment work themselves, so clients deal directly with the people who inspected the building.

The report is written to help the person managing the property understand what requires action and where further specialist input may be needed. Previous records can also provide useful context where they are available.

Arrange a fire risk assessment for your building

If the current assessment is out of date, management has recently changed or there are questions about communal areas, doors or outstanding actions, ClearFire can inspect the property and provide a current written report.

Contact ClearFire to request a quote for a fire risk assessment for your residential building.