I am an owner/occupier living in the basement flat of a four storey Victorian house. I own a share of the freehold. The three flats above me are all occupied by rental tenants. These flats share a communal access via the main street entrance and staircase. I have my own front door with direct street access. The building is due a fire assessment and I would like to know whether I am obliged to contribute to costs of fitting any fire safety alarms/lighting etc to the communal areas above me which are completely separate to my own dwelling. And indeed am I required to have safety equipment fitted to my own flat. I currently have installed battery operated smoke detectors - is this deemed sufficient?

Contact your solicitor it will depend on any agreements or contracts you are party to and only the common areas are subject to The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 the flats are subjected to The Housing Act 2004 however if fire safety items need to  be installed in your flat to protect the common areas you should allow it to be installed.