As a holiday cottage owner, it’s your responsibility to recognise and reduce potential fire risks to protect guests. If you’re new to holiday letting it can be difficult to know where to start. If you’re an experienced letting owner, it is likely the rules may have changed! For both reasons we have created this useful guide on the steps you must follow.
What you must do by law
When it comes to the law, holiday properties are required to comply with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety Order) 2005. The law requires you; to have certain systems and equipment in place, to undertake a Fire Risk Assessment, to identify any potential fire risks, and to act on the findings to ensure the fire precautions are sufficient to protect guests. Failure to act may lead to prosecution, fine and/or imprisonment.
This guide contains;
- Some useful resources
- A summary of what systems and equipment you need
- How to carry out a Fire Risk Assessment
- Who to inform, and how
- What to do annually
Resources
Before you go any further, have a look at this resource from Visit Britain. It has a useful PDF guide, comprehensive information about Fire Risk Assessment, and a template that you can use. Note that it is written to apply not only to holiday cottages, but also to hostels and guesthouses so some of the concepts and terminology may not apply (for example, references to staff and training).
VisitBritain – Fire Risk Assessment Tool >
Cornwall Council also has a web page covering the same issues — we don’t think it’s as clear but do have a look.
Systems and equipment
It’s useful to think about the Fire Risk Assessment and equipment at the same time because one feeds into the other. This section gives a summary of what you should have installed, without which you won’t be able to complete the assessment. Please note, this is an overview for guidance and we urge you to refer to the Visit Britain resource for the definitive ‘rules’ on what you need to do.
Fire alarms
All premises used as self-catering holiday lets need an interlinked automatic detection and fire warning system. Note it is not enough to have DIY individual ‘smoke alarms’ with batteries. The type of system requited depends on the size of the property:
- In the smaller properties (ground and first floor with only 2/3 guest bedrooms and short travel distances to a place outside) interconnected detectors with a 10-year battery may be good enough which you may be able to fit yourself (technically, this is known as a Grade F LD2 system). Detection should be fitted in the staircase, corridors and bedrooms with a heat detector in the kitchen.
- For slightly larger properties (ground, first and second floor with a simple route, no more than 12m travel distance, to a place outside) an interlinked mains wired with integral battery back-up system of detectors is needed (technically known as a Grade D LD2 system). Again, detectors should be fitted in the staircase, corridors and bedrooms with a heat detector in the kitchen.
- In apartments and any properties larger than those described above, a more comprehensive fire alarm system consisting of manual call points and a control panel should be installed (complying with BS5839 Part 1 Category L2).
A properly conducted fire risk assessment may show a variation to the standard described above due to, for example, the construction of the premises or the level of risk within other rooms (e.g. rooms which are provided with TVs, coffee making facilities and sockets for charging personal electronic devices would have a higher risk of fire etc.).
Any system in place must be tested regularly and must be loud enough to wake anyone sleeping on the premises.
Your guests should be given information on the system installed, which you will write down in the Fire Risk Assessment, including what to do in the event of a false alarm. This will be made available in the property (see below).
Emergency lighting
If a fire knocks out the normal inside lighting, you should think about whether any ‘borrowed lighting’, for example from nearby street lamps, would be enough to allow people within the premises to find their way out.
If not, it may be acceptable in small premises to rely on rechargeable torches that come on automatically if the main supply fails. If required, you should have one in each room with a label that says what they have been provided for.
Large premises will need more sophisticated automatic emergency lighting systems.
Fire extinguishers
A CO2 fire extinguisher must be wall mounted in the kitchen. In properties with open plan kitchen/dining/living areas one device may be adequate for the one area and in most cases this would be located in the kitchen zone.
A foam or water extinguisher should be mounted on a wall near the entrance/escape route(s) or hallway(s).
Fire blanket
This must be mounted on the kitchen wall near the cooker in the kitchen.
Candles and other naked flames
Although candles create a cosy ambience, they cause thousands of house fires each year. We do not allow naked flames in the properties we let (which is stated in Guest Directories), so please do not provide candles. You can say this is the Fire Risk Assessment. Some owners like to provide electronic candles instead, a lovely touch and great customer service.
Smoking
We have a no smoking rule in all of our properties and this is clearly stated in our Guest Directories. You can say this is the Fire Risk Assessment.
Means of escape, exits and & evacuation
You must have escape routes for people to leave the premises safely. An escape route includes any rooms, corridors and staircases that you have to go through to escape from a building. Considering the best evacuation routes and ensuring they they are safe, evident and clear of hazards and blockages is part of the Fire Risk Assessment.
Fire Doors
Doors leading onto the escape route should be strong enough to hold back smoke and fire for long enough to give you time to escape.
Small Dwellings – A reasonably solid timber door that fits well into its frame is likely to be good enough. Any internal hollow ‘egg box’ door would not offer adequate protection and should be replaced.
Medium and Large Premises – These types of properties may need fire doors if they are more than two storeys or where travel distances are larger than 12m. Any such doors that open onto the escape route should be kept closed, especially at night. This is very important in the kitchen. Guests should be advised of this (the obvious way being to have sign on the doors). This should also be stated in the Fire Risk Assessment, and if this is flagged up for us we will make sure it’s prominent in the Guest Directories too.
Fabrics and soft furnishings
All fabrics and soft furnishings must be fire-retardant and approved to current British standards. This should not be problem for new furniture, but may be an issue with vintage. You must review your furnishings as part of your fire risk assessment and act accordingly. It may not be self-evident what furnishing are covered by the regulations, but this web page explains and is the best advice we have:
visitbritain.org/pink-book/fire-safety-furniture-and-furnishings
Completing a Fire Risk Assessment
Read and familiarise yourself with the Visit Britain risk assessment template before you do anything — it’s an assessment and essential comprehensive review of:
- The risks of fire within your property.
- The people that will be visiting your property.
- The measures you need to put in place to keep guests as safe.
As the owner of the holiday property you may want to carry out the assessment yourself and are entitled to do so. There are also organisations locally that offer this service. We can recommend: gfsfire.co.uk/risk-assesments
What to do next
You must:
- Inform guests about fire risks by placing a dated copy of your Fire Risk Assessment in the Guest Directory in the property. You can do this yourself, or email us a copy and we’ll do it. Either way it’s your responsibility to action this — we are here to prompt and help you!
- Send us a copy, even if you have put one in the Guest Directory yourself. This is because we require a copy for our files following best practice.
What to on an ongoing basis, and next year!
You need to maintain your Fire Risk Assessment, keeping the risks and measures under constant review. For example, regularly test the detection and fire warning system. Make sure that escape roputes are kept clear, etc.
Then your Fire Risk Assessment should revised and updated annually. Everyone involved in managing and maintaining your property should be informed of any changes, and the updated copy sent to file at Forever Cornwall and a copy put in the Guest Directory.
[Page updated 16/03/2021]