Is a Fire Risk Assessment required when a house is converted into flats?

Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005

The requirement for a Fire Risk Assessment primarily arises from the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, SI 2005/1541, and particularly SI 2005/1541, art 9. The relevant parts of SI 2005/1541 do not apply to domestic premises including premises let out to groups of unrelated persons under joint tenancies. However, where premises are split into flats or rooms that are let separately, SI 2005/1541 does apply to any part of the premises used in common by the occupants of more than one of the flats or rooms. These are known as the ‘common parts’ and include areas such as hallways, stairways, entrance halls and laundry rooms.

While SI 2005/1541 still does not apply to areas inside individual flats, it does not mean that any Fire Risk Assessment does not need to consider those areas at all. For example, it may be that the characteristics of those flats or their occupants have an effect on the requirements for a communal alarm system or escape routes.

Assuming