Hi there I was hoping you could all help me. A colleague at work today happened to mention in conversation that they have recently moved into a flat within a converted barn. There willl be a total of 30 flats when completed, but from what I can gather there is still a great deal of building work going on even though a few of the flats are occupied. I am trying to determine what the fire regulations within this particular case would be as the occupied areas would obviously come under residential regulation as they must have been passed as safe for people to move into, but the rest presumably must be classed as construction? I am concerned that in the common areas the smoke detectors are covered with dust covers, the builders are using the fire escape for getting materials into the building and consequently storing some materials on or around the escape route. Also I asked my colleague if they had been briefed on what the procedure was in case of the fire i.e. are the detectors linked into the fire service or do you have to ring once evacuated. Also of concern is that from what my colleague has seen there are no extinguishers or fire fighting equipment of any kind. I have advised they should get in contact with the landlord / management company soonest as presumably this would affect the validity of their building insurance, but I have said that I would try to find out more regarding specific requirements. Thanks :-)

I should have added, ask the landlord to show you their fire risk assessment (which is what teh RRO requires).

These sorts of situations are relatively common with appartment blocks. The building owner is primarily responsible but discharges this via the Principal Contractor for the construction areas. He should, if properly advised, have ensured the contractors fire insurance runs for the complete structure until final completion. In non construction areas the owner must provide signage and equipment as per the FRA Bob