Residential evacuation plans: what changed in April 2026

The Fire Safety (Residential Evacuation Plans) (England) Regulations 2025 — which buildings are in scope and what responsible persons now have to do.

From 6 April 2026, the Fire Safety (Residential Evacuation Plans) (England) Regulations 2025 require responsible persons in certain residential buildings to plan for residents who may not be able to evacuate on their own.

Which buildings are in scope

• Residential buildings in England that are 18 metres or more in height, or at least seven storeys, and
• residential buildings over 11 metres that have a simultaneous evacuation strategy.

Both must contain two or more sets of domestic premises.

What the responsible person must do

1. Identify residents who may need help to evacuate, using reasonable endeavours — for example asking all residents, and asking again when people move in.
2. Offer a person-centred fire risk assessment to each resident identified, looking at how their circumstances affect their ability to escape.
3. Agree a residential personal emergency evacuation plan where it's appropriate and practical, setting out what will happen in a fire.
4. Give the resident emergency evacuation information they can keep and understand.
5. Share relevant information with the fire and rescue service — with the resident's consent — so crews know who may need help.
6. Review the arrangements regularly and whenever the resident's circumstances or the building change.

Getting the records right

These plans involve health information, so they need careful handling: who can see them, where consent is recorded, and when they are due for review. Residents can decline a person-centred assessment, and that should be recorded too.

In Vital IMS, buildings in scope are flagged automatically from the height and evacuation strategy held on the site record. Each resident's plan tracks the assessment, the evacuation statement, consent to share with the fire and rescue service and the date it was shared, plus the next review. The site's overview shows what's outstanding.

This article is general information, not advice for your building. Read the Regulations and Home Office guidance at legislation.gov.uk and GOV.UK.