Residential evacuation plan duties made law for April 2026

The Fire Safety (Residential Evacuation Plans) (England) Regulations 2025, S.I. 2025/797, were published on 4 July 2025.

When they bite, and where

Regulation 1 is unusually clean for a commencement provision. The Regulations came into force on 6 April 2026 — a single date, with no staged commencement to track.

They extend to England and Wales but apply in England only, which is the distinction that matters for anyone managing a portfolio across the border: they form part of the law of England and Wales, and impose duties in England. They do not apply to domestic premises within the Palace of Westminster or to military premises.

The full position, including how these Regulations sit alongside the Fire Safety Order and the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, is set out on our page for the Regulations themselves.

What changes for responsible persons

The Regulations create duties in relation to residents whose ability to evacuate independently is compromised — the population that personal emergency evacuation plans have long addressed in workplaces and, until now, addressed far less consistently in residential blocks.

Why nine months of lead time is not spare time

A commencement date in April 2026 for regulations made in July 2025 looks generous. In practice the work these duties require — identifying relevant residents, holding person-centred conversations, and recording what was agreed — depends on resident engagement, which is the slowest part of any block management programme and cannot be compressed at the end.

Buildings where the resident profile is not currently known are the ones that should have started first.