Nearly half of purpose-built flats rated ‘unsatisfactory’ in fire safety audits

Fire safety audits are concluded as either ‘satisfactory’ or 'unsatisfactory’ and are conducted by Fire and Rescue Services to check buildings meet safety standards. Inspectors review records, fire safety equipment, and assess management practices, flagging issues. The ‘Responsible Person’ must ensure the audit remains valid, particularly where significant changes e.g. structural alternations have taken place. 

Twenty buildings received a Prohibition Notice, the most serious measure before prosecution, meaning all or part of the premises could be immediately prohibited from use due to a serious and imminent risk to life such as exposed wiring deemed a fire hazard. 

And in six cases, prosecutions were pursued following failures to comply with remedial actions. 

In total, 445 enforcement notices were served. These formal legal notices require building managers to correct fire safety deficiencies within a set timeframe. Failure to comply can lead to prosecution or fines. Where breaches were less serious, Fire and Rescue Services issued informal notifications instead.

The figures were analysed by Drax Technology, a UK provider of fire and life safety compliance software. The data, released by Fire and Rescue Services across England, cover the period between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025. The numbers showed a slight improvement compared with the previous year, when 49% of audited buildings received an ‘unsatisfactory’ rating.

David Simpson, Group Product Director at Drax Technology, said: “Blocked escape routes, failing emergency lighting, and faulty alarms are too often pushed down maintenance lists until a fire exposes the devastating consequences.

“Under the Building Safety Act, compliance can no longer be assumed, it must be proven. Building managers across BTR, the PRS and social housing, now need clear evidence of what was inspected, when, and by whom. Gaps in record-keeping represent a serious operational, financial, and regulatory risk.”

He added that the findings revealed two key challenges - widespread non-compliance, and a lack of visibility to ensure fire safety standards were consistently met. In many cases, building managers simply do not have a clear, real-time view of the safety status of their properties, even though the technology now exists to provide it.

“There is no room for uncertainty when it comes to resident safety,” he said. “Digital platforms can give property teams constant oversight of fire safety systems, allowing issues to be identified and resolved before inspections, or worse, before an emergency.

He added he was shocked to learn during the analysis that 34% of high-rise buildings of 10 storeys or more received an unsatisfactory audit. 

“High-rise buildings pose greater risks because fire fighter access is more complex, so robust and consistent fire safety measures are critical,” he said. “The industry must step up and do better.”

Data set used: ‘FIRE1202’ https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fire-statistics-data-tables#fire-prevention-and-protection