Navigating RPEEPs: A guide for property professionals

Coming into force 6^th April 2026, this legislation requires responsible persons (RP) to:

• Provide a person-centred fire risk assessment and emergency evacuation statement to all relevant residents. 

• Share this information with the local Fire and Rescue Service

• Maintain the information in a Secure Information Box

• Review the residential PEEPs at least every 12 months, when the RP believes it is necessary, or when a resident reasonably requests a review.

Scope: High-rise residential buildings (18m+ with at least two residential units) and buildings 11m+ with a simultaneous evacuation strategy.

How to succeed

While regulations define a relevant resident as someone in need of assistance during an emergency evacuation due to a cognitive or physical impairment, there isn’t specific criteria for how compromised a person’s ability must be to identify them as a relevant resident. Strategy: simply ask residents, "If you had to, would you be able to evacuate the building quickly on your own?" This cuts through regulatory ambiguity.

RPs must implement reasonable and proportionate mitigation measures, but the extent of the measures depends on who’s paying for them. Strategy: a tiered mitigation approach offers clear cost structures and flexible implementation pathways, ensuring compliance whilst respecting budgets.

Resident consent must be obtained at every stage of the process, residents are able to refuse or withdraw consent at any point, forcing RPs to withdraw shared information and prevents them from carrying out their duties. Strategy: Educate residents of fire safety importance and evacuation procedures during emergencies. Well informed residents are more likely to provide ongoing consent.

Navigating the complexities of tenant-filled Buildings

When discussing this new legislation, the term "tenant" is often overlooked, yet it presents the most significant implementation challenge. In many UK buildings, property managers have no direct resident communication due to the middleman letting agent. The property management company (PM) maintains a relationship with the letting agent, residents have relationships with letting agents, but PM companies lack direct resident relationships. This arrangement works adequately for leaseholder-occupied buildings but creates barriers in tenant-filled properties.

Why this creates a challenge

The new legislation places responsibility directly onto the PM company. However, if the PM company doesn't know who lives in their building, this creates significant challenges.

The PM company must first: 

• Identify all residents in their building 

• Determine who the relevant residents are 

• Complete the PEEPs process with them

The biggest challenge PM companies will face is that residents have no idea who they are. So why would residents provide the sensitive information they need?

Typical tenancy agreements only last 12 months, meaning regular resident turnover. The initial assessment for relevant residents may be challenging, but ongoing maintenance of new and old relevant residents can be easier. The letting agent and PM company must establish standardised notification procedures and resident information templates. This allows PM companies to easily destroy departing resident data and assess new residents for PEEPs requirements.

Moving forward

While challenging, this new legislation should be viewed as an opportunity to improve resident engagement, not as a burden. It provides an opportunity to build stronger relationships with residents and foster a greater sense of community, rather than just focusing on leaseholders.

Ready to navigate rPEEPs with confidence?

With less than 7 months until rPEEPs legislation comes into force, now is the time to start preparing. Get in touch with our team today to discuss your options for the new legislation. 

Abigail Wray, Marketing Executive, Black Boots Technology