The landscape of residential safety in London has fundamentally changed. As of 6 April 2026, the Fire Safety (Residential Evacuation Plans) (England) Regulations 2025 are officially in force. These regulations are underpinned by the Building Safety Act and recent regulatory reform, which together form the legislative background for these changes. The regulations were introduced following recommendations from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, which highlighted critical gaps in evacuation support for vulnerable residents. PEEPs are specifically designed to prevent the loss of life for vulnerable residents in response to tragic incidents like the Grenfell Tower fire.
If you manage a multi occupied residential building over 11 metres with simultaneous evacuation, or any block over 18 metres (seven storeys), the “stay put” advice is no longer the sole pillar of your strategy. The responsible person typically the building owner now has a legal duty to support those who cannot self evacuate through Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs).
The building safety regulator is responsible for enforcing compliance, overseeing the implementation of these safety measures, and ensuring information sharing. Higher risk residential buildings are defined as those at least 11 metres tall or with multiple storeys, where enhanced evacuation planning is required. As of April 6, 2026, compliance with new statutory requirements in England will fundamentally change how property managers operate for these buildings.
Understanding the New “Relevant Resident” Mandate
At the heart of the 2026 regulations is the “Relevant Resident.” A relevant resident is defined as someone whose principal residence is in the building and who has difficulty evacuating without assistance due to a cognitive or physical impairment.
London’s unique architectural heritage from Victorian conversions in Hampstead to modern high rise glass towers in Canary Wharf presents diverse obstacles for these residents. The law now requires the Responsible Person (RP) to use “reasonable endeavours” to identify relevant residents, offer a person-centred fire risk assessment (PCFRA), and record an emergency evacuation statement as part of their legal duties.
Who falls under the scope?
- High Rise Buildings: Any residential building at least 18 metres or seven storeys high.
- Mid Rise Buildings: Buildings over 11 metres that utilise a simultaneous evacuation strategy.
These are considered higher risk residential buildings under the Regulations. The Regulations apply to all high-rise residential buildings in England that are at least 18 metres tall or have at least 7 storeys, as well as multi-residential buildings over 11 metres in height with simultaneous evacuation strategies.
The PCFRA: Beyond the Standard Fire Risk Assessment
A standard Fire Risk Assessment (FRA) looks at the building; a person-centred fire risk assessment (PCFRA) looks at the human. A PCFRA is designed to understand an individual resident’s ability to respond and evacuate, focusing on their specific risks and needs, including any particular risks or impairments that may affect their own fire safety. To achieve peep compliance for property managers, it is essential to engage with residents to assess their ability to evacuate in emergencies, considering their mobility, sight, hearing, cognitive needs, and any other particular risks. This requires a level of empathy and communication that goes beyond traditional property management.
The PCFRA process includes identifying relevant residents, offering assessments, recording evacuation statements, and sharing information with Fire and Rescue Services, all with resident consent. The Responsible Person (RP) must implement reasonable and proportionate measures identified during the PCFRA to mitigate the risks identified, which may include proposed mitigation such as the provision of evacuation equipment or other tailored solutions.
These measures should be aligned with leaseholder agreements and rights, considering who bears the costs or if lease variations are needed. The PCFRA is not intended to duplicate the building’s fire risk assessment but focuses specifically on the resident’s own fire safety and evacuation challenges. The assessment should always consider the resident’s ability to evacuate, the particular risks they face, and any measures identified or proposed mitigation, including the use of evacuation equipment where necessary.
Structural and Technical Mitigations: The CMR London Perspective
As a specialist in construction and building refurbishment, we see first hand how structural integrity impacts evacuation speed. For peep compliance, the building manager and building owner are responsible for implementing and funding reasonable and proportionate measures identified during the PCFRA (Person-Centred Fire Risk Assessment). The Responsible Person must consider who will pay costs for these mitigation measures, ensuring that any actions taken are reasonable and proportionate. Importantly, these measures cannot override existing leaseholder rights without agreement or consent from the leaseholders involved. Compliance in 2026 often requires more than just a written statement; it requires physical intervention to ensure the building supports the plan.
Evacuation Lifts and Lobbies
Recent updates to Approved Document B (March 2026) now strongly recommend the provision of evacuation lifts in residential buildings above 18 metres. Unlike standard lifts, evacuation lifts are a form of evacuation equipment specifically designed to remain operational during a fire and assist residents with mobility impairments during an emergency.
- The CMR Approach: We specialise in creating protected evacuation shafts and lobbies that provide a safe refuge area for residents waiting for assistance. This is particularly vital in older blocks where space is limited.
Wayfinding and Sensory Alerts
For residents with visual or hearing impairments, standard alarms and signage are insufficient.
- Tactile and High Contrast Signage: Essential for navigating smoke filled corridors.
- Vibrating Alarms and Strobe Lighting: We install integrated systems that ensure every resident-regardless of hearing ability-is alerted instantly.
Door Automation and Fire Protection
Manual fire doors can be a physical barrier for residents with limited mobility. The installation of electromagnetic hold open devices, linked to the fire alarm system, ensures doors close automatically during an emergency while remaining easy to use day to day.
Collaboration with Local Authorities
Effective fire safety in residential buildings is not achieved in isolation. For responsible persons-whether property managers, building owners, or housing providers collaborating with local authorities is a cornerstone of compliance under the latest fire safety legislation. Local authorities, including the fire and rescue service, are not only enforcers of the fire safety order but also valuable partners in developing robust residential evacuation plans and person centred fire risk assessments.
Engaging with Fire and Rescue Authorities
Engaging early and regularly with your local fire and rescue authority can help you navigate the specific fire safety challenges unique to your building, whether it’s a heritage conversion in Hampstead or a high rise residential building in Canary Wharf. These authorities can provide up-to-date guidance on simultaneous evacuation strategies, emergency evacuation plans, and the identification of relevant residents who may need additional support.
Information Sharing
Local authorities are also instrumental in helping responsible persons develop reasonable and proportionate measures to mitigate risks for vulnerable residents. Their expertise can inform your centred fire risk assessment process, ensuring that your emergency evacuation statements and building emergency evacuation plans meet both legal requirements and best practice standards.
In practice, collaboration might involve sharing key information about relevant residents such as flat numbers and the nature of assistance required with the fire and rescue service, always in line with data protection legislation.
Inspections and Guidance
Local authorities may also conduct inspections to ensure your evacuation plans and mitigation measures are up to standard, and can offer advice on how to address any gaps identified during these reviews.
The Building Emergency Evacuation Plan (BEEP)
While PEEPs are individual, the BEEP is the master document for the entire premises. Property managers are required to maintain Secure Information Boxes containing hard copies of PEEPs for use by the Fire and Rescue Service. The Responsible Person must also share prescribed information about relevant residents with their local Fire and Rescue Authority (rescue authorities), subject to the explicit agreement of each resident.
The BEEP must include:
- The overall evacuation strategy (Stay Put vs. Simultaneous)
- A clear record of which flats have active PEEPs, including the resident’s flat number, floor number, and the degree of assistance required for each resident’s flat
- Technical details of firefighting equipment and evacuation aids
Residents must provide explicit consent for their information to be shared with the Fire and Rescue Authority, and they can withdraw this consent at any time. The Responsible Person must ensure that the information shared with fire services is concise and easily understood to inform their operational response in an emergency. Information can be shared digitally or in hard copy format, depending on the preference of the local Fire and Rescue Authority. All handling and sharing of resident information must comply with the Data Protection Act and UK GDPR.
A PEEP is a written, tailored plan that outlines exactly how a specific individual will be supported to reach a place of safety during an emergency, including agreed escape routes, designated assistants, and specialist equipment such as evacuation chairs. PEEPs aim to enable independent evacuation or supported evacuation without relying solely on the fire service. An emergency evacuation statement should be included, clearly explaining what a resident should do in the event of a fire, based on the outcomes of a person-centred fire risk assessment, and specifying the resident’s flat to aid emergency response planning.
Balancing the Equality Act and GDPR
Compliance is a tightrope walk. You must respect the Equality Act 2010 by making reasonable adjustments, but you must also adhere to strict data protection rules, including the Data Protection Act, when handling and sharing sensitive health information. The Data Protection Act provides the legal framework for secure data management and governs how resident information is processed and shared in compliance with UK GDPR and relevant fire safety regulations.
Data Protection and Consent
Residents must provide explicit consent for their information to be shared with the Fire and Rescue Authority, and they can withdraw this consent at any time.
Pro Tip: Only share the minimum necessary information with the Fire and Rescue Service (e.g., flat number and a basic indication of assistance needed). Detailed medical histories should never be shared without explicit, informed consent.
Why Proactive Maintenance is Your Best Defence
A PEEP is only as good as the building it is written for. If a fire door is warped, a smoke vent is jammed, or an evacuation lift has not been serviced, the plan fails. At CMR London, our planned preventative maintenance programmes are now being updated to include specific checks for evacuation critical infrastructure.
Whether you are managing a heritage asset in Kensington or a modern development in Stratford, the goal remains the same: safety, compliance, and peace of mind.
Are your London properties ready for the 2026 inspection cycle?
Contact CMR London today to audit your building’s structural readiness for PEEP compliance.
FAQ: Residential PEEPs and Fire Safety 2026
Do I need a PEEP for every single resident in my block?
No. Under the residential peeps policy, you are required to use “reasonable endeavours” to identify relevant residents who may need assistance. The residential peep process involves:
- Identifying these residents,
- Offering and conducting person-centred fire risk assessments (PCFRAs),
- Obtaining their consent,
- Recording evacuation statements,
- Sharing information with Fire and Rescue Services as appropriate.
You only need to create a PEEP for those who consent to the process after being identified.
Who pays for the “mitigating measures” required by a PEEP?
- If a measure benefits the whole building, costs may be shared.
- If it is specific to one resident, the RP or the resident may pay.
- Some residents may be eligible for a Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) to cover capital costs.
- In some cases, volunteers-family, friends, or neighbours-may assist a resident with evacuation, but the responsible person is not obliged to facilitate such volunteers.
What happens if a resident refuses to engage with the PEEP process?
- Participation in PEEP planning is voluntary.
- If a resident declines or refuses to engage with the process, you cannot compel them to participate.
- You must document the offer made and your attempts to engage them, and record their refusal to demonstrate that you have met your legal duty of “reasonable endeavour.”
How often should a PEEP be reviewed?
Under the 2025 Regulations, you must review the PCFRA and the resulting evacuation statement every 12 months, or sooner if the resident’s needs change or building works occur.
What if there is a disagreement between a resident and the responsible person about a PEEP?
- If a dispute arises during the residential peep process, and informal resolution is not possible, both parties should follow the appropriate dispute resolution process.
- This may involve using the complaints procedure, referring the matter to an ombudsman service, or contacting the relevant housing authority.
- Enforcement authorities or resident engagement processes do not arbitrate such disputes but will direct parties to the appropriate dispute resolution channels.