Are you a ‘Responsible Person’? - New legal duties apply

Following the Grenfell Tower Inquiry [1], recommendations called for mandatory emergency evacuation planning for ‘relevant residents’.

However, duties under the Fire Safety (Residential Evacuation Plans) (England) Regulations 2025 (the Regulations), which take effect from 6 April 2026, have not gone that far . Instead, resident participation in Residential Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (RPEEPs) is voluntary, and resident’s consent is required before a RPEEP is created or shared (and can be withdrawn at any time!).

Who are ‘relevant residents?

RPEEPS are designed for people who may have mobility impairments, sensory impairments (e.g. hearing or sight), cognitive conditions, or other factors that could make self-evacuation difficult. Only residents who live in the building as their only or principal residence are eligible.

What is a RPEEP?

RPEEP is an individualised fire-evacuation plan for residents in certain UK residential buildings who may not be able to evacuate independently during a fire or other emergency.

A RPEEP typically sets out:

• What assistance the resident needs in an emergency
• What arrangements are in place to support their evacuation
• What the resident should do if there’s a fire
• Information for Fire & Rescue Services, if the resident consents, to help them plan an operational response.

The duties of the Responsible Person

As part of the RPEEP, the Responsible Person (e.g. including but not limited to, landlord, building owner, or managing agent) must:

• Use reasonable endeavours to identify residents who may need a RPEEP.
• Offer and conduct a person-centred fire risk assessment (PCFRA). This helps identify any reasonable and proportionate measures or adaptions. The PCFRA is specific to the relevant resident and considers the additional risks and needs identified relating to that resident, therefore, it is in addition to the building’s fire risk assessment required under Article 9 of the Fire Safety Order.
• Prepare an Emergency Evacuation Statement (EES) agreed with the resident which takes into account the risks identified in the PCFRA.
• Review plans regularly.
• Store plans securely, following data-protection requirements.
• Place required information in the building’s secure information box (designed to store vital information that is essential for fire and rescue services during emergencies).
• Share essential details with the Fire & Rescue Authority (with consent of the resident).

The government has also prepared specific guidance ^[2] and a toolkit ^[3] to assist Responsible Persons. Some examples of good practice Responsible Persons may want to consider include, but not limited to:

• Documenting evidence of the reasonable endeavours to identify relevant residents (e.g. the process where English is not a residents first language or where the resident has a representative who is authorised to act on their behalf).
• The Responsible Person may want to retain records of correspondence relating to a refusal of consent by a resident (being mindful of any relevant data protection legislation) to demonstrate reasonable endeavours were made.

These documentary records could be useful evidence if a Responsible Person was asked to account for their action/inactions by a regulator.

What buildings do the Regulations apply to?

RPEEPs apply to residential buildings in England that:

• 18 metres in height above ground level,
• Has at least 7 storeys, or
• 11 - 18 metres in height above ground level and has a simultaneous evacuation strategy.

This is the latest set of reforms following the Grenfell Tower tragedy and it is likely that further additional reforms will follow.

References 

1. Grenfell Tower Inquiry: Phase 1 Report Overview | Page 22 
2. Residential PEEPs: Guidance for Responsible Persons - GOV.UK
3. Responsible Persons toolkit - GOV.UK