Small paying guest accommodation
If you have, own or run small paying guest accommodation, you must carry out a fire risk assessment. This is the law.
Small paying guest accommodation is described by the Home Office guidance (see below) as 'premises that have simple layouts, limited fire risks and a small number of bedrooms designated as guest sleeping accommodation for short-term lets, such as small bed and breakfast, guest houses and self-catering accommodation'.
You can learn what a fire risk assessment is below. Your Fire Risk Assessment must be carried out by your Responsible Person. You can also employ a professional Fire Risk Assessor to do the assessment for you.
Fire safety and your small paying guest accommodation
If you own or run small paying guest accommodation you will need carry out a Fire Risk Assessment. This is an assessment of the possible fire risks in your small paying guest accommodation and what can be done to remove or reduce them.
The assessment should be carried out by your Responsible Person and the required information recorded and kept up to date.
It is possible to do the fire risk assessment yourself, particularly if your premises are small or low risk. Alternatively you can employ a Fire Risk Assessor to the Assessment for you.
The Home Office produce a guide which tells you what you need to know and how to carry out a fire risk assessment. It also contains helpful checklists, examples of accommodation layouts and more.
If you don't want to do the fire risk assessment yourself
If you cannot carry out the Fire Risk Assessment yourself, you can employ someone to do it for you.
You will still be legally responsible for your Fire Risk Assessment and so it is important that you use or employ a person who can do the job correctly. Take a look at the things you should check before employing someone to do your Fire Risk Assessment
When we inspect your premises
Kent Fire and Rescue Service are legally required to inspect small paying guest accommodation and make sure that you have appropriate fire safety in place. This is to help protect you, your building, people who stay and anyone who uses the building, from the risk of fire.
Our Inspector will make sure that your premises comply with the Home Office guidance found in 'Making your small paying-guest-accommodation safe from fire' referred to above. This means the things you need to do to make sure that:
- if there is a fire, the building will hold back fire and smoke to allow enough time for people to escape
- the building has the appropriate fire alarm(s) and warnings, signage, lighting and other requirements referred to in the government guidance to assist people to evacuate if there is a fire
- that you know what to do if there is a fire, and that this information has been passed onto your staff and other relevant people
- you are doing everything to stop fire in the first place by identifying fire hazards and people at risk, and by removing or reducing those hazards and risks
- that you keep records of what you do and keep your Fire Risk Assessment updated