1st Oct New fire regs for holiday accommodation

[mummymeister]

AIBU to think that if you own a holiday property, even one where you only let it out for a few weeks of the year because the rest of the time its your second home, that you should know about these new requirements which are going to be the law in less than a month?

I work in tourism and have for well over 25 years and cannot believe the number of people who own a holiday let, yurt, caravan, cottage, house etc that have absolutely no clue that there is a legal requirement to comply from 1st October 2023.

Holiday let owners will need
*written fire risk assessments
*simple latch or thumb turns on all exit doors (so not with a key)
*hard wired linked smoke alarms in rooms including bedrooms
*emergency lighting like torches

and a host of other things. Holiday lets are a huge investment yet people seem to not want to keep up with the laws and the various changes. If they dont then their business insurances are invalidated and why would you risk it? Just amazed really that its not really being talked about more by the Online travel agents like airbnb and agencies including visit england.

That guide is just advice, its not the legislation, it refers to legislation frm 2005, unless Im missing something, I actually find government documents quite hard to navigate

I notice in the guide it mentions inner rooms not being allowed to be used for sleeping, the amount of holiday cottages we have been in, oldy worldy ones where they have rooms, next to rooms etc, the only way out of a room is through the room next door

What will happen to those?

@bellac11 yes, you are missing something. its legislation not just guidance. you have to follow it I am afraid. "New fire regulations for self-catering accommodation in England, and in Wales, come into force in 2023. There is a new England Guide published by Home Office which describes the measures you should take in your short-term let to mitigate fire risks. The new guides are published as ‘Article 50 guidance’, which have legal status. A failure to follow the guidance issued under Article 50 of the Fire Safety Order (FSO) may be relied on as a contravention of the duties in FSO Articles 8-22. If you do not adopt the measures recommended in the guidance, this may be deemed non-compliance. You would need to demonstrate that the measures you taken meet the requirements of the FSO. Otherwise, your premises could be subject to a prohibition notice (shut down) by the fire and rescue services. In serious cases you could face an unlimited fine and/or imprisonment, if prosecuted."

It comes under something called an Article 50. so its law not something you can either choose to do or not do.

I dont have to follow it at all,, Im not a landlord.

I find your tone a bit hectoring.

@bellac11 sorry about that. not my intention. Hopefully though next time you book a holiday in the UK it will have all of this in place and you will feel a bit safer and more secure.

Who's going to enforce it though? The fire service is stretched enough as it is.

@Inkpotlover well there will be guests who complain to them and they will have to investigate in some way. Plus insurers will ask for things like copies of your fire risk assessment when you insure with them. this happens now on other things (like swimming pools etc) so if someone says they cant produce their fire risk assessment then thats a good indication to the insurer that they arent complying with the law and they will either refuse to insure or reinsure them and then that does also become an issue. Further down the line there will be registration of furnished holiday lets (as there is in wales and scotland newly) This is out for consultation and something will come in in England and again owners will be asked to upload documents like the fire risk and if they cant they wont get registered and if they arent registered they wont get a number and without a number airbnb, booking and holiday agents wont take them.