Fire Safety Changes in 2026

Alongside this, additional fire safety measures continue to apply to residential buildings over 11 metres. These requirements include increased focus on fire doors, evacuation strategies, firefighting equipment and building information for Fire and Rescue Services.

What The BSA Means for Building Owners

Changes introduced through the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 also place greater responsibility on building owners and responsible persons to ensure fire safety measures are properly managed and maintained. This includes regular checks of fire doors, firefighting lifts and other fire safety systems within residential buildings.

New regulations surrounding Residential Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs), which came into force in April 2026, following government consultations on the Emergency Evacuation Information Sharing (EEIS). This also require additional planning for residents with disabilities or impairments in certain residential buildings over 11 metres and 18 metres in height. 

Whilst these changes are necessary, they can have a major impact on projects where fire safety requirements are identified later in the process. Additional sprinkler systems, fire alarms, fire stopping measures and design amendments can quickly increase costs and affect programme timelines if they are not considered early.

How Can Surveyors Help?

As fire safety requirements continue to evolve, the role of a surveyor is becoming increasingly important in helping clients manage risk, budgets and project changes. Additional compliance measures can significantly affect overall project viability if they are introduced late or not fully understood during the early stages of a project. A surveyor can help identify these risks early, advise on potential cost implications and support project teams in maintaining control of budgets as designs develop. This can include early cost planning and helping clients understand how changes to regulations may impact overall project costs and delivery.

A Recent Example

At Chawton Hill the team recently worked on a residential project where additional fire safety requirements were introduced later in the design process. Although the building measured approximately 8 metres at the front, further review of the building measurements included the basement level. This increased the overall building height to over 11 metres. Under the BSA and associated fire safety guidance, residential buildings over 11 metres fall within enhanced safety requirements.

 As a result, the project was required to comply with the proposed fire safety provisions. This included the installation of a new sprinkler system to all five levels of the building, revisions to the fire strategy and additional coordination across the wider design team. These regulatory changes came into force after project planning had already commenced, requiring elements of the scheme to be reviewed and redesigned as the works progressed.

By working closely with the wider project team, Chawton Hill was able to help manage these changes and support the client through the compliance requirements whilst maintaining progress on the project.

With fire safety regulations continuing to evolve, early planning and clear cost advice are becoming increasingly important across construction projects. Understanding the requirements at the start can help reduce delays, avoid unexpected costs and support smoother project delivery.

For developers and project teams, having the right professional support in place early can make a significant difference when navigating changing fire safety requirements.

Dave Edwards, Managing Director, Chawton Hill