AnthonyB

The swing tag dates back to when most furniture was sold in retail stores and also when there were different grades of furniture (fully compliant, failed match test, failed match & cigarette test) - as long as the permanent label is not defaced the retail tag can be removed.

Is this an escape route inside a single flat or does the window open onto a common escape route?

It depends on the size and layout of the premises as to whether that needs to be a protected route, however it should be avoided in any case. The bit of the legislation covering this is in Article 14 of the Fire Safety Order: Emergency routes and exits 14.—(1) Where necessary in order to safeguard the safety of relevant persons, the responsible person must ensure that routes to emergency exits from premises and the exits themselves are kept clear at all times.

AS long as the paperwork says a uPVC frame is actually acceptable and it was installed in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions using their approved compatible components and is still in undamaged working order then yes. Depending on location it may have been meant to have been installed with smoke seals and also it's either a 30 minute door or a 60 minute door it can't be both.

Internal doors within a flat do not require to be self closing which is why they won't have fitted it. Closers can be fitted either side of the door depending on the closer, door & frame set up, it's location may not be the reason for it's stiffness - far more likely it just needs adjusting (there should be two adjustment screws under the closer cover) to make it more free moving

Depends - repairs are possible, especially where a notional door would be accepted in the FRA. A competent fire door inspector (one of which is a regular contributor to the forum & should answer at some point) will be able to advise on the viability of repair.

Ark Workplace Risk are London based and should be able to do this, too far away for me.

No, sounds like scaremongering to get you to pay him to supply & install his choice of fitting for an appropriate price. If the lock can be mechanically released in the direction of escape by a simple single operation with no need to operate the electronic locking mechanism then it should be fine, like with the non deadlocking night latch below.

If the Assembly Point is not on your land or in a public place you won't be able to or expected to sign it. Fire action signs, Evacuation Plan signage and staff training should clearly state where it is and your fire wardens briefed to guide people towards it.

The external wall is a mandatory fire safety consideration regardless of height where there are 2 or more dwellings. Hospitals, other than new high rise ones, aren't covered by the BSA but as they don't simultaneously evacuate any competent risk assessor would consider the EWS as part of their FRA

In theory that thickness should achieve 60 minutes, but subject to the various caveats Mike mentions. You are unlikely to find anyone to certify it though so as daft as it is you might need to under draw the lot with a 60 minute White Book plasterboard solution

How thick are the beams & boards? It would be very unusual for concrete used as a floor to be so insubstantial to be anything less than notionally 60 minutes. BR128 can give a pointer as to fire resistance if you know the thickness.

They have a right to security & are not obliged to have unlocked doors. Prior to wider use of deadlocks with thumb turns on the inside the 'Yale' type night rim latch was the usual 'simple fastening' to allow ease of escape whilst locked (they had to be the type without a snib that locks out the turn knob). Independent living or sheltered housing as it is termed in official guidance is as the name suggests for people still capable of living independently with only limited intervention & supervision and if they don't have the capability to use their front door ironmongery then there are far more safety issues around their house and they should have a care assessment to see if they are still capable of independent living, not leave their front door unlocked.

Yes - it's not a legal fire exit for either domestic or non domestic premises/

You've asked this elsewhere - 1 RP, one premises, 1 linked set of protective measures, just 2 compartments, so could be one FRA. There could be an argument to split them if under completely different management just under the same parent, but it is easier (& cheaper if third party assessed) to have 1 report

Nor under the Fire Safety Order as it's inside the dwelling, nor under Building Regulations as they aren't retrospective. Are they rented or owner occupied? Assuming you are in England LD2 exceeds the statutory minimum of LD3 for rental properties.

The top storey of the building being 11 metres or more/18 metres or more in height should be determined ignoring any storey which is a roof-top machinery or plant area or consists exclusively of machinery or plant rooms, and should be measured from the ground level on the lowest side of a building to the top storey upper floor surface So not roof or ceiling level

Your written Fire Risk Assessment for the blocks (as you should legally have in place) should address this. Any reasonable assessor would, in accordance with the official Government guidance for blocks of those sizes accept the original notional fire doors (usually 44mm or 54mm thick depending on fire rating) as long as they are in good condition and installed to the correct standard originally (unfortunately some modern blocks have defects that were overlooked at the time of build). Beware of people saying you must fit new certified doorsets, fire alarms, etc. Depending where you are in the UK I may be able t help you further if you wish.

Doesn't sound like it, certainly not the front door.

This guide will help - p48 onwards for specific guidance. https://www.cieh.org/media/1244/guidance-on-fire-safety-provisions-for-certain-types-of-existing-housing.pdf You will also require a written fire risk assessment.

As it's a conversion the "Making your small block of flats safe from fire" guide doesn't apply as it is unlikely to meet the required construction standards or have the built in fire precaution and smoke control features and it's recommended a professional carry it out - the "guidance on fire safety provisions for certain types of existing housing produced by the Local Authorities Coordinators of Regulatory Services (LACORS)" linked is more appropriate to flats converted from older houses. Currently the RP can carry this out themselves if they can demonstrate competency, although there is a gradual move to restrict this in future only to the three types of premises covered by the three guides in the section "Guidance for fire safety in small premises" but that's a few years off yet!

The freeholders, having control over the common parts, would be legally responsible. If there is no Management Company then both the individual freeholders would jointly be Responsible Persons as 'natural persons', if there is a Management Company then it, as a 'legal person' it would be the RP. The Fire Safety Order (as amended by the Building Safety Act) applies to England & Wales and so you would be required to carry out a fire risk assessment which must be recorded along with the fire safety arrangements for the premises. The FRA would then determine if your current general fire precautions are adequate. https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fire-safety-legislation-guidance-for-those-with-legal-duties

If it's a separate external building the only considerations for the door is it's security/robustness and it's ability to ventilate the chamber. Sounds like someone has read guidance but can't apply it correctly. A gas intake room within a building would be different (but still not likely to need to be 's' rated)

It wouldn't surprise me if the council does a kneejerk reaction and 'bans' everything, but having a second exit and being presumably ground floor, then none of that is really an issue - even in larger blocks the concept of ;managed use' exists to allow at least some of these. See also - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fire-safety-in-purpose-built-blocks-of-flats

If that's minor wear & tear then you have a slum landlord! Possibly, it depends on what elements of the cover are those giving the fire resistance.