Fire safety: what your landlord must do

Direct answer

Your landlord must keep your home and the shared parts of the building safe from fire. That includes working smoke alarms, fire doors that close properly, and clear escape routes. If your landlord ignores fire-safety repairs, that can be part of a housing disrepair claim. If you are in danger right now, call 999. For other worries, call us free on 0800 030 4669.

Fire-safety repairs your landlord is responsible for

• Smoke alarms, and carbon monoxide alarms where needed, that work
• Fire doors (your front door and doors in shared hallways) that close and seal properly
• Clear, unblocked escape routes and shared hallways
• Safe electrics and gas. See electrical safety and carbon monoxide.

What to do

1. Report it to your landlord in writing and keep a copy.
2. If it is an emergency, like a blocked fire exit or a broken fire door in a block of flats, treat it as urgent.
3. If there is immediate danger, call 999 and ask for the fire service.
4. If your landlord ignores you, your council's environmental health team and the fire service can step in.

When we can help

If your landlord has ignored fire-safety repairs, like a broken fire door, a missing or faulty alarm, or an escape route blocked for a long time, that can form part of a disrepair claim. Call us free on 0800 030 4669 and we will tell you if you have a case.

Bigger building-safety problems

For serious issues with a whole block, like cladding or major structural fire risks, the building's "responsible person" (often the freeholder or managing agent) and the fire service deal with those. We will point you the right way if your problem is bigger than a repair.

Free call: 0800 030 4669 | Start your claim

Sources

• Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, Section 11 (legislation.gov.uk)
• Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (legislation.gov.uk)
• Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022 (legislation.gov.uk)