How to Comply with Article 17 of the Fire Safety Order: A London Landlord’s Guide

How to Comply with Article 17 of the Fire Safety Order: A London Landlord’s Guide

For landlords and building managers in London, understanding and complying with Article 17 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 is essential—not just to protect tenants but to meet legal obligations.

What Article 17 Requires

Article 17 mandates that the responsible person (typically the landlord or managing agent) must maintain all fire safety systems and equipment “in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair” radcliffechambers.comgov.uk+6rics.org+6radcliffechambers.com+6rendallandrittner.co.uk+2firesafetylaw.co.uk+2bafe.org.uk+2. This duty applies to passive fire protection measures—including compartmentation, fire doors, fire stopping, alarms, and emergency lighting.

Landlords managing blocks of flats or shared-use buildings are directly responsible for:

• Maintaining fire doors in communal areas,

• Ensuring seals around service penetrations remain intact,

• Keeping fire-resisting walls, floors, and ceilings free from breaches, and

• Completing all works with professional standards and proper certification.

Who Is Responsible?

In most London properties — whether multiple occupancy houses, HMOs, or mixed-use blocks — the landlord or managing agent is the responsible person london-fire.gov.uk+3rendallandrittner.co.uk+3rics.org+3. If tenants carry out work that affects fire safety, landlords must ensure they cooperate and allow access to remedy any issues en.wikipedia.org+15radcliffechambers.com+15totallandlordinsurance.co.uk+15.

The Maintenance vs. Assessment Distinction

While fire risk assessments under Article 9 identify hazards, Article 17 requires landlords to act on the findings—repair breaches, renew components, and maintain fire safety installations firesafetylaw.co.uk+1rendallandrittner.co.uk+1. It’s not enough to know there's a breach—you must fix it and prove you did.

A Simple Compliance Process

Here’s a concise 4-step process for Article 17 compliance:

Step	Action	Why It Matters
1. Assess	Conduct a fire risk assessment, focusing on fire stopping, compartmentation, and doors	This identifies non-compliant areas and starts the compliance process
2. Maintain	Schedule regular checks—especially on fire doors (6-monthly visual/annual inspections as recommended) totallandlordinsurance.co.ukradcliffechambers.com+3legislation.gov.uk+3bafe.org.uk+3london-fire.gov.uk+9rendallandrittner.co.uk+9rics.org+9	Finds wear and tear before it's critical
3. Rectify	Use certified materials to seal breaches, replace damaged items, and maintain structural integrity	Keeps your building safe and compliant
4. Document	Maintain clear records: what was fixed, when, by whom, and verification of certification	Essential evidence for inspections or enforcement reviews

Why This Is Crucial in London

London’s ageing and densely developed built environment—with adaptations, conversions, and overlapping responsibilities—creates hidden fire safety vulnerabilities. Unresolved breaches in fire-stopping systems or fire doors can rapidly undermine compartmentation, greatly increasing risk .

How Stoptastic London Can Help

We support London landlords with a full compliance service under Article 17:

• Carrying out compartmentation and fire stopping surveys

• Carrying out fire door inspections and remedial works

• Installing certified fire-stopping products

• Providing full third-party verification and compliance documentation

Our services help fulfill legal duties, ease audit processes, and empower you to demonstrate due diligence.

Ready to Meet Your Obligations?

If building works, renovations, or even time have passed since your last compliance review, it’s essential to act now. Fire safety is not only about avoiding enforcement—it’s about ensuring the safety of your tenants.

Contact Stoptastic London today to schedule a compliance audit or discuss how we can support your Article 17 responsibilities with confidence and clarity.