Fire Risk Assessments for Holiday Lets

If you’re a holiday let owner, you should know that fire risk assessments (FRA) are a legal requirement in ensuring the safety of the occupants. So, as the holiday season approaches, it’s important to get yours done and signed off soon. Continue reading to discover the importance of fire risk assessments for holiday lets and what they entail.

Holiday let fire risk assessment

As part of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 FSO, performing a fire risk assessment on a holiday let property is a legal requirement. This not only ensures the safety of the occupants but also provides you with peace of mind that your property is safe to rent out to holiday-goers.

A holiday let fire risk assessment identifies potential fire risks within the property. It also gives notice of actions that must be performed upon receiving the findings, and ensures that fire precautions are adequate to protect guests.

Failure to undertake a fire risk assessment for holiday lets can result in huge fines for the owner of the property.

What does a fire risk assessment for holiday lets include?

There are many things considered when undertaking a fire risk assessment for holiday let properties, including identifying who is at risk, checking smoke alarms and fire exits.

Here is a complete list of potential dangers and risks that a fire risk assessment will look at:

Identifying who is at risk – guests and anyone else who might attend the property, like housekeepers or tradesmen.
Identifying the means of alerting occupants at risk to a fire outbreak and how to escape.
Recording all actions and steps taken to minimise the risk of fire and reviewing the holiday let fire risk assessment annually, as well as the servicing of fire extinguishers.
Ensuring all smoke alarms and detectors are interlinked and making sure there are smoke detectors in all bedrooms, as well as a heat detector in the kitchen.
Rechargeable torches should be provided in bedrooms. They plug into mains sockets to charge and will automatically light up in the event of a power cut.
Ensuring that all fire doors have a thumb turn lock on the inside, not a key lock.

One copy of the fire risk assessment should be kept by the owner away from the property to be produced to an investigating officer in the event of a fire. There should also be a copy inside the premises as proof that a fire risk assessment has been carried out prior to the guests’ arrival.

Who can perform a holiday let fire risk assessment?

Ultimately, the owner of the holiday let property is responsible for the safety of their guests and they can actually be the ones to undertake the fire risk assessment.

If the owner has sufficient competency they will be able to carry out the fire risk assessment for their holiday let property, detailing all the requirements under the Fire Safety Order and with suggested actions where required.

While the annual Gas Safety Certificate or the Electrical Installation Condition Report must be carried out by a qualified professional, this is currently not the case for fire risk assessments.