Understanding a Genuinely Confusing Area of UK Fire Safety Law
One of the most common questions we’re asked is whether the Residential PEEPs Regulations covered elsewhere on this site apply across the whole of the UK. The short answer is no. The Fire Safety (Residential Evacuation Plans) (England) Regulations 2025 apply in England only. This page sets out exactly what does and doesn’t apply in each of the UK’s four nations, since fire safety law here has diverged significantly and getting this wrong has real consequences for Responsible Persons managing buildings outside England.
England: The 2025 Regulations Apply in Full
As covered in detail on our Residential PEEPs guide, the Fire Safety (Residential Evacuation Plans) (England) Regulations 2025 came into force on 6 April 2026 and apply to residential buildings in England containing two or more sets of domestic premises that are either 18 metres or seven storeys or more, or over 11 metres with a simultaneous evacuation strategy.
Wales: Drafted Into Scope, But Not in Force
This is the detail most likely to catch people out. The 2025 Regulations were originally drafted to extend to Wales as well as England. However, they do not apply to Welsh properties at the effective date of 6 April 2026. Official guidance for leaseholders and building managers is explicit that Residential PEEPs “are not currently needed in Wales,” and that the rules introduced in England do not apply there.
It remains to be seen whether the Welsh Government will introduce equivalent legislation of its own, commence the existing Regulations for Wales at a later date, or take a different approach entirely. Responsible Persons for buildings in Wales should not assume the English Regulations apply to them, but should also be aware this position could change, and should watch for updates from the Welsh Government rather than relying on the English commencement date as a guide.
Scotland: General Fire Safety Duties, No Residential PEEP-Specific Regime
Scotland has its own fire safety legal framework entirely separate from England and Wales. Fire safety duties in Scotland sit under the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005, which places general duties on those responsible for premises to assess and reduce fire risk, including for people who may need assistance evacuating. However, Scotland does not currently have a residential PEEPs regime equivalent to England’s 2025 Regulations, meaning there is no specific statutory requirement to create individual Person-Centred Fire Risk Assessments or Residential PEEPs for identified residents in the way the English Regulations now require.
This does not mean disabled residents in Scotland have no protection. The general fire risk assessment duty under the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 still requires those responsible for a building to consider people who may struggle to evacuate. But the specific mechanics introduced in England, the PCFRA process, the central PEEP register, the FRS information-sharing duty, do not currently have a direct Scottish equivalent.
Northern Ireland: Its Own Fire Safety Act, and a Different Equality Law
Northern Ireland operates under the Fire Safety Act (Northern Ireland) 2005 and the Fire Safety Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010, which place comparable general duties on responsible persons but, as with Scotland, do not currently include a residential PEEPs-specific regime matching the English Regulations.
There’s an additional wrinkle worth knowing about in Northern Ireland: the Equality Act 2010, which underpins reasonable adjustment duties elsewhere on this site, does not apply there. Northern Ireland instead operates under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (as amended), which is broadly similar in principle, employers and service providers must make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, but is a distinct piece of legislation with its own case law and, in places, narrower protections than the Equality Act provides in Great Britain. Anyone advising on disability-related evacuation duties in Northern Ireland should refer to the DDA specifically, not the Equality Act.
Summary Table
| Nation | Residential PEEP-Specific Regulation? | General Fire Safety Duty | Disability Discrimination Law |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | Yes — Fire Safety (Residential Evacuation Plans) (England) Regulations 2025 | Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 | Equality Act 2010 |
| Wales | No — drafted into scope but not commenced | Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 | Equality Act 2010 |
| Scotland | No equivalent regime currently in place | Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 | Equality Act 2010 |
| Northern Ireland | No equivalent regime currently in place | Fire Safety Act (Northern Ireland) 2005 | Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (as amended) |
What This Means If You Manage Buildings Across Multiple Nations
Responsible Persons or managing agents operating across UK nations should not apply a single, England-based compliance policy uniformly. A policy built solely around the 2025 Regulations’ PCFRA process and central register may go beyond what’s currently required in Scotland or Northern Ireland, and may not currently apply at all in Wales, while still leaving general fire safety and reasonable adjustment duties in place everywhere. It’s worth treating England’s approach as good practice worth adopting voluntarily elsewhere, rather than assuming it’s a legal requirement outside England.
This is a developing area. Wales in particular could change position at any point, and we’ll update this page if that happens. For the full detail on the English Regulations themselves, see our Residential PEEPs compliance guide and PEEPs Legal Framework pages.
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