43% of UK hotels are running fire safety documentation that hasn't been updated since before 2020. The Fire Safety Act 2021 changed the requirements. The Building Safety Act 2022 added more. These hotels are operating under a framework that no longer exists.
What Changed Post-2020
The Fire Safety Act 2021 clarified that fire risk assessments must cover the building's structure, external walls, and flat entrance doors — not just communal areas. The Building Safety Act 2022 added requirements for higher-risk buildings including a safety case, Accountable Person registration, and enhanced record-keeping. Hotels in higher-risk buildings are directly in scope.
The Specific Gaps
- Fire risk assessments that don't cover external walls or cladding systems
- No assessment of flat/room entrance door fire performance
- PEEPs (Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans) not in place for guests with disabilities
- Staff fire safety training records lapsed or non-existent
- Evacuation strategy not reviewed for hybrid stay-in-place / simultaneous approaches
Why Hotels Are Behind
The pandemic decimated hospitality budgets. Many hotels spent 2020-2022 focused on survival, not compliance updates. When business recovered, operational demands took priority over regulatory catch-up. Three years later, the gap is wider than it should be.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the penalty for outdated fire safety documentation in a hotel?
Enforcement notices, prohibition notices (closure of affected areas), and prosecution of the responsible person. Fines are unlimited for fire safety offences. Hotel operators carry personal criminal liability under fire safety legislation.
How quickly can a hotel update its fire safety framework?
A comprehensive update — new fire risk assessment, PEEP procedures, staff training, documentation review — takes 4-8 weeks for a typical hotel. The bottleneck is usually fire risk assessment availability, so book early.
Until next time — keep the evidence closer than the deadline.
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About HermanWa
HermanWa is a building compliance and operations platform for property and facilities teams in the United Kingdom and Singapore, with portfolios across the Gulf. It keeps one auditable file per building — statutory deadlines, inspection evidence, contractor work, energy and carbon — and its AI assistant, Herman, answers questions about your buildings in plain English. HermanWa tracks obligations including fire risk assessments and fire door checks, Building Safety Act duties, Legionella (ACOP L8), EICR, gas safety and EPC in the UK, and SCDF fire certificates, Periodic Facade and Structural Inspections, lift permits and Green Mark in Singapore. Directors can check their exposure with the free Director's Risk Check.