The Article 3 definition.
"'Responsible person' means — (a) in relation to a workplace, the employer, if the workplace is to any extent under his control; (b) in relation to any premises not falling within paragraph (a) — (i) the person who has control of the premises (as occupier or otherwise) in connection with the carrying on by him of a trade, business or other undertaking; or (ii) the owner, where the person in control does not have control in connection with such an undertaking."Article 3, Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
How the duty falls in common scenarios.
| Premises | Responsible person | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Office occupied by one company | The employer | Even in leased premises — control of the workplace is the trigger |
| Multi-tenanted office building | Each employer for their demise; landlord/managing agent for common parts | Multiple responsible persons with a statutory duty to cooperate |
| Block of flats | Freeholder, RMC/RTM company or managing agent in control of common parts | Leaseholders are not responsible persons for common parts |
| Licensed HMO | The landlord (or managing agent with contractual control) | Licensing conditions run in parallel — see HMO licensing |
| Restaurant in leased unit | The operator (employer); landlord for any retained parts | Lease repair clauses do not transfer statutory duty |
| Vacant commercial building | The owner | Arson and deterioration risks must still be assessed |
Duty-holders under Article 5(3)
Beyond the responsible person, anyone with control of premises to any extent — managing agents, maintenance contractors with obligations for fire systems, facilities managers — owes the Order's duties to the extent of their control. This is how enforcement reaches agents who run buildings day-to-day.
Cooperation between responsible persons
Where a building has more than one responsible person, Article 22 — strengthened by Section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022 — requires each to identify themselves to the others, share the parts of the building they are responsible for, and exchange fire safety information. In a mixed-use building (shops below flats, for example) the commercial operators and the residential freeholder must coordinate assessments so no part of the building falls between them.
What the responsible person must actually do.
- Commission or carry out the fire risk assessment and record it in full, including the assessor's identity.
- Implement the action plan arising from it.
- Maintain fire precautions — alarm, emergency lighting, extinguishers, fire doors — in efficient working order.
- Provide staff training and residents' fire safety information where the regulations require it.
- Review the assessment regularly and after material change.