Residential PEEPs Are Now Law: What Building Managers Must Do
The Fire Safety (Residential Evacuation Plans) (England) Regulations 2025 came into force on 6 April 2026, requiring responsible persons in high-rise and higher-risk buildings to identify vulnerable residents and agree personalised evacuation plans.
INFIRISK Team·5 min read·
The Fire Safety (Residential Evacuation Plans) (England) Regulations 2025 came into force on 6 April 2026, introducing a legal duty for responsible persons in qualifying residential buildings to identify residents who may need help evacuating in a fire, and to agree personalised evacuation plans with them. The regulations represent one of the most significant changes to residential fire safety law since the Grenfell Tower tragedy.
What Are Residential PEEPs?
A Residential Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (RPEEP) is a personalised evacuation plan for a resident who may need extra help to leave a building safely in the event of a fire. According to the GOV.UK factsheet, an RPEEP records what support a resident needs and what arrangements are in place to help them evacuate. Unlike workplace PEEPs, which rely on staff-assisted evacuation, the residential approach focuses on person-centred assessment and information sharing with local fire and rescue services.
Which Buildings Are Affected?
The regulations apply to residential buildings in England that contain two or more sets of domestic premises and meet one of the following criteria:
The building is at least 18 metres above ground level or has at least seven storeys
The building is over 11 metres in height and has a simultaneous evacuation strategy in place (meaning all residents must evacuate during a fire alarm, rather than using a stay put approach)
Relevant residents are those whose ability to evacuate without assistance is affected by a cognitive or physical impairment, and whose home is their primary residence within a qualifying building.
The Five-Step Process for Responsible Persons
The regulations set out a structured process that responsible persons, typically the building owner, landlord, or managing agent, must follow. The GOV.UK factsheet outlines five key steps:
Step 1: Identification. Use reasonable endeavours to identify residents who may need help evacuating due to a physical or cognitive impairment. Residents cannot be compelled to participate.
Step 2: Person-centred fire risk assessment. Offer each identified resident an individual assessment examining their specific risks and evacuation ability. This supplements, rather than duplicates, the existing building-wide fire risk assessment.
Step 3: Risk mitigation. Discuss reasonable and proportionate measures with the resident. The responsible person decides what to implement, but cannot mandate measures that the resident must pay for.
Step 4: Emergency evacuation statement. Agree a written statement with the resident setting out what they should do in the event of a fire. No prescribed format is required.
Step 5: Ongoing review. Review all assessments, statements, and measures at least every 12 months, or sooner if building changes warrant it or a resident requests a review.
Resident Consent Is Central
A key feature of the regulations is that resident participation is entirely voluntary. The legislation makes clear that residents may decline to participate at any stage, refuse an emergency evacuation statement, withhold permission for information to be shared with fire services, or withdraw their consent at any time.
Sharing Information With Fire Services
Where a resident gives explicit consent, the responsible person must share limited prescribed information with the local fire and rescue authority: the flat number, floor level, the degree of evacuation assistance needed, and whether an emergency evacuation statement exists. No detailed personal or medical information is disclosed. According to the London Fire Brigade, secure systems have been established to receive this information and make it available to operational crews responding to incidents.
Spencer Sutcliff, Deputy Commissioner of the London Fire Brigade, described the changes as an important first step towards making sure everyone feels safe in their own home, especially those who might need extra support in an emergency.
Alongside the RPEEP regulations, the government has launched the Interim Measures Alarm Fund (IMAF), a 62.7 million pound fund for the installation of common fire alarms in buildings awaiting cladding remediation. The fund, which launched on 1 April 2026, replaces the Waking Watch Replacement Fund (which closed on 31 March 2026 after supporting 801 buildings and saving leaseholders an estimated 273 pounds per month). Administered by Homes England via the Cladding Safety Scheme platform, the IMAF will run until 2035.
Enforcement and Compliance
Fire and rescue authorities are responsible for enforcing compliance, using existing powers under the Fire Safety Order. For buildings of 18 metres or more that fall under the Building Safety Regulator, residents can escalate concerns through the Residents Voice procedure if their building owner fails to comply.
What You Should Do Now
If you are a responsible person for a qualifying building, these regulations are now in force. Practical steps to take:
Determine if your building is in scope. Check the height threshold (18m/7 storeys, or 11m+ with simultaneous evacuation) and whether you have two or more domestic premises.
Begin the identification process. Write to residents to explain the new requirements and invite those who may need evacuation support to come forward. Remember, participation is voluntary.
Prepare your assessment and statement templates. No prescribed format is required, but having a consistent approach will help manage the process across multiple residents.
Establish a data sharing process with your local fire service. Contact them to understand their preferred method for receiving prescribed information (digital submission or secure on-site information boxes).
Review your building evacuation plan. The regulations also require a building-wide evacuation plan that must be shared with your fire authority and reviewed annually.
Check eligibility for the fire alarm fund. If your building is awaiting cladding remediation and currently relies on waking watch or interim measures, the new 62.7m IMAF may cover the cost of installing a common fire alarm.
