Residential PEEPs
New legal requirements now apply.
Tetra delivers Residential PEEPs and carries out the required Person-Centred Fire Risk Assessments (PCFRAs).
Compliance is achieved through person-centred assessment and proportionate decision-making — not by producing plans for every resident
Action Is Needed Now
New Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP) requirements now apply to many residential buildings in England.
These are legal duties.
They affect a large proportion of residential portfolios.
How the Process Works
Compliance with the evacuation requirements is achieved through a structured, person-centred process — not by producing plans for every resident.
The process is as follows:
1. Fire Risk Assessment (FRA)
- The building’s Fire Risk Assessment establishes the evacuation strategy and provides the essential context for all further decisions.
- At Tetra, we have experienced consultants who can carry out FRAs across your in-scope buildings and portfolios.
- Where Tetra has not completed the FRA, your consultant will review the existing FRA ahead of a site visit to ensure the evacuation strategy is fully understood.
2. Person-Centred Fire Risk Assessment (PCFRA)
- PCFRAs are undertaken for individual residents who may require additional support to evacuate in the event of a fire.
- A PCFRA assesses the resident’s needs in the context of the building and its evacuation strategy, rather than in isolation.
- The purpose of a PCFRA is to determine whether additional evacuation measures are required for that individual.
3. Residential Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (Residential PEEP)
- If the PCFRA concludes that additional measures are necessary, a Residential PEEP is produced for each individual with a PCFRA (and, not every individual in the block).
- Where a Residential PEEP exists, a written Emergency Evacuation Statement is also prepared in line with Regulation 8.
What is in scope and what do you need to do about it?
What buildings are in scope?
Over 75,000 buildings are in scope from April.
Residential PEEPs applies for buildings that are:
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18 metres or more, or
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7 storeys or more, or
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11 metres or more with a simultaneous evacuation strategy
What you must do now
Responsible Persons* need to evidence action now.
Compliance is demonstrated through person-centred assessment, proportionate decision-making, and clear written records.
What you must do now:
Identify buildings in scope.
Identify residents who may require additional support to evacuate in the event of a fire.
Ensure Person-Centred Fire Risk Assessments (PCFRAs) are undertaken where appropriate.
Use the outcome of each PCFRA to determine whether a Residential Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (Residential PEEP) is required.
Where a Residential PEEP is required, ensure a written Emergency Evacuation Statement is produced in line with Regulation 8.
Record and retain clear evidence of engagement, decisions made, and outcomes — including where no additional measures are required.
* If you are in any doubt that you are the Responsible Person — if a fire risk assessor recommends a change, and you are the person who decides whether it happens — you are the Responsible Person.
The PCFRA requirement
Residential PEEPs require a person-centred approach.
The purpose of a PCFRA is to determine whether additional evacuation measures are required for an individual resident.
This means:
Assessing a resident’s ability to evacuate safely
Focusing on practical evacuation needs — not medical detail
Agreeing realistic arrangements that work in the building
These assessments sit alongside, not inside, the building Fire Risk Assessment.
To be compliant you need PCFRAs in every in-scope building.
What to focus on now
Make progress by starting with four things.
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Confirm building heights and evacuation strategies (Tetra’s Building Measurement Survey can help)
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Identify residents who may need evacuation support
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Put a practical approach to PCFRAs in place
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Review operational capacity and resourcing
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Ensuring decisions are documented, referenced, and defensible — including where no additional measures are required
The Tetra Solution
We:
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Confirm which buildings are in scope
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Carry out Person-Centred Fire Risk Assessments (PCFRAs)
We support you in:
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Developing and implement proportionate Residential PEEPs
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Engaging residents sensitively and lawfully
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Preparing on-site and operational teams
- Maintaining clear, auditable digital records (PRISM can help here)
Our role is to help Responsible Persons apply professional judgement and evidence compliance clearly and proportionately.
The result: practical solutions and the certainty of meeting legal obligations.
Why Choose Tetra?
Directly employed experts.
Market-leading property risk expertise.
Dedicated helpdesk support.
Comprehensive client onboarding creates faster value.
Portfolio-wide management anytime, anywhere with PRISM.
Recognised by the industry through multiple awards.
The Clients Who Trust Us
Talk to Tetra
Book a 20-minute Residential PEEPs review.
A short conversation to understand your buildings and explain:
Whether you are in scope
How we can deliver your PCFRA
What a proportionate delivery plan looks like
Residential PEEPs — Your Questions Answered
Do we need a Residential PEEP for every resident?
No.
Residential PEEPs are only required where a Person-Centred Fire Risk Assessment (PCFRA) concludes that additional evacuation measures are necessary.
Does every PCFRA result in a Residential PEEP?
No.
A Person-Centred Fire Risk Assessment (PCFRA) is used to determine whether additional evacuation measures are required for an individual resident.
In many cases, the outcome of a PCFRA may be that no additional measures are required. This is a valid outcome and must still be recorded.
Is a Person-Centred Fire Risk Assessment (PCFRA) the same as a Fire Risk Assessment?
No.
A Fire Risk Assessment assesses the fire risks and evacuation strategy for a building as a whole.
A Person-Centred Fire Risk Assessment assesses the needs of an individual resident in the context of that building and its evacuation strategy.
Do you need a Fire Risk Assessment (FRA) to carry out a PCFRA?
Yes.
A PCFRA must be undertaken in the context of the building’s evacuation strategy, which is set out in the Fire Risk Assessment.
Where Tetra has not completed the Fire Risk Assessment, a copy must be reviewed to inform the PCFRA.
Is an Emergency Evacuation Statement a separate document or process?
No.
An Emergency Evacuation Statement is a written record of the agreed evacuation arrangements for an individual resident.
It captures what the resident has agreed to do in the event of a fire and forms part of the Responsible Person’s live, auditable evacuation arrangements.
Where a Residential PEEP exists, an Emergency Evacuation Statement must be produced in line with Regulation 8.
What Regulation 8 requires
Regulation 8 makes clear that the person-centred fire risk assessment discussion should lead naturally to the resident being able to decide what they should do in the event of a fire.
The Responsible Person must use reasonable endeavours to agree with the relevant resident, at the end of the person-centred fire risk assessment, what the resident should do in the event of a fire.
The Regulations also place a duty on the Responsible Person to ensure this agreed outcome is recorded in writing as an Emergency Evacuation Statement.
Do PCFRAs involve medical or sensitive personal data?
No.
PCFRAs focus on practical evacuation needs — not diagnoses, medical records, or clinical detail.
What if a resident doesn’t engage or refuses an assessment?
Responsible Persons must demonstrate reasonable endeavours to engage residents.
Residents are allowed to decline.
Where a resident declines to participate, this should be recorded as part of the PCFRA process. Compliance is based on evidence of engagement and decision-making, not compulsory participation.
Do all PEEPs require specialist equipment?
No.
Many arrangements rely on planning, communication, and trained staff — not equipment.
Can this be managed internally by our team?
Some elements can.
Most organisations commission specialist support for PCFRAs, resident engagement, and record-keeping to reduce risk.
Is this just a paperwork exercise?
No.
The purpose of the process is to evidence proportionate, person-centred decision-making — not to produce documents unnecessarily.
How long does it take to put Residential PEEPs in place?
It depends on portfolio size and resident engagement.
Starting early allows for proportionate delivery without pressure.
How does Tetra support this in practice?
Tetra’s directly employed consultants carry out PCFRAs and deliver Residential PEEPs in live buildings, with clear records maintained through PRISM.
What’s the first step if we’re unsure?
Confirm whether your buildings are in scope.
Everything else follows from that.
Talk to Tetra
Book a 20-minute Residential PEEPs review.
A short conversation to understand your buildings and explain:
Whether you are in scope
How we can deliver your PCFRA
What a proportionate delivery plan looks like