Fire Safety
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The Interim Measures Alarm Fund (IMAF), managed and delivered by Homes England, provides government funding to install interim fire alarm systems in residential buildings.
The Interim Measures Alarm Fund (IMAF) is designed to reduce the prolonged use of interim fire safety measures and encourage progress towards more permanent fire safety remediation. Read more and aply here.The fund aims to:
- improve resident safety while remediation or long‑term mitigation work is undertaken, enabling residents to remain safely in their homes
- reduce the risk of unnecessary decants, ensuring buildings remain occupied where safe and appropriate to do so
- promote compliance with National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) guidance on simultaneous evacuation by supporting the replacement of waking watch with common fire alarm systems where feasible
- protect leaseholders not covered by statutory protections from the cost of interim measures by funding the installation of common fire alarms
The fund helps:
- support leaseholders, by removing potential exposure to the high ongoing costs of waking watch arrangements, which previously required residents to cover substantial monthly charges
- implement the installation of common fire alarm systems that meet BS 58391 Category L5 standards, providing a more effective and sustainable fire safety system than human fire wardens
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In April 2026, long-awaited regulations to improve the fire safety of disabled and vulnerable people in England’s high-rise housing will come into force.
It means those responsible for fire safety in these buildings, known as responsible persons (RPs) in law, face a raft of new duties. The Responsible Person (RP) for a block would usually be its owner or manager.
The rules will apply to two types of flats: blocks that are 18 metres or seven storeys or higher, and smaller buildings over 11 metres or five storeys that have simultaneous evacuation strategies in place.
On 2nd December 2025, MHCLG released more detailed guidance explaining the responsibilities of responsible persons, advising them how to meet these responsibilities and the role of other groups including residents and fire authorities.
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This guidance is issued by the Secretary of State in accordance with Article 50 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (the FSO).
This is a revised version of guidance on the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, which was first published in January 2023.
The guidance has been revised in the light of government concerns regarding a misunderstanding of the scope and intent of the Regulations, which has resulted in burdens on leaseholders, who have been advised to replace flat entrance doors that were not manufactured, and certificated, in accordance with current standards for new fire-resisting doors.
- Fire Safety
- Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022
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The Remediation Acceleration Plan (RAP), published on 2 December 2024, set out the government’s plans to accelerate the remediation of residential buildings with unsafe cladding in England and improve resident experience. As part of that plan, the government committed to publishing an update to report on progress and outline additional measures to support the delivery of its key objectives:
An update published today (17 July 2025) outlines the significant progress already made against these objectives and sets out a range of additional measures to fix buildings faster, identify those 11m+ buildings still at risk and ensure that residents are supported in the process. These measures will help to overcome the barriers to remediation so that residents feel safe and are safe in their homes.
To fix buildings faster, this update outlines plans to:
- Give social landlords equal access to government remediation funding as private landlords, supported by a new joint plan between government, social landlords and regulators to speed up remediation, cutting years off the time to make social tenants safe and improving resident experience before, during and after remedial works.
- Bring forward a Remediation Bill to create a hard ‘endpoint’ for remediation. A Legal Duty to Remediate will compel landlords to remediate their buildings within fixed timescales or face criminal prosecution. Avoidance is not an option. Where landlords fail, new powers - including a Remediation Backstop - will ensure the work gets done. The Bill will be brought forward as soon as parliamentary time allows.
- Tighten fire assessment standards to minimise delays to remediation start dates and provide certainty on the scope of works.
- Support the delivery of Local Remediation Acceleration Plans (LRAPs) to enhance collaborative working and expertise at regional levels, further to the over £5 million in funding already provided to metro mayors.
- Establish a National Remediation System (NRS) to serve as the single source of data for all relevant buildings over 11 metres to enhance information sharing across partner organisations.
- Building Remediation
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The new Building Safety (Wales) Bill introduces a new safety regime for multi-occupied residential buildings in Wales, with a strong focus on resident safety, accountability, and regulatory enforcement. It builds on the Building Safety Act 2022 and responds to findings from the Hackitt Review and the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.
Key highlights of the Bill include:
- New statutory duties for building owners and managers.
- A tiered system of responsibilities based on building height and complexity.
- The introduction of duty holder roles such as the Principal Accountable Person (PAP).
- Enhanced rights and protections for residents, particularly vulnerable groups.
- Significant implications for developers, including registration and documentation requirements.
To read the Bill in full, click here