Do you let a self-catering shepherd hut unit for one night or more per year? Have you seen the latest fire regulations change?You may be aware that the fire regulations for self-catering properties are changing from 01 October 2023. Official Government information can be found here. (*please see note at the end of this article)From 01 October in England, you must:
carry out a recorded fire risk assessment (FRA), even if you only let for a single night
you should make your FRA available to accommodation guests, either electronically or on paper
your FRA also needs to be available to the local fire and rescue service, in the event of an inspection, or in the case of fire
you can conduct your own FRA, if you feel competent to do so, or hire a fire risk assessor to do one for you
The great team at PASC (Professional Association of Self-Caterers) have put in a great deal of work to offer guidance to small business who are unaware of or confused by the new regulations, including very helpful webinars with featured speakers.PASC have allowed Visit Isle of Wight to share this information with self-catering businesses on the Island, whether you are a member of PASC or not.This information can be found here: https://www.pascuk.co.uk/fire_checks_and_safety/If you would like to find out more about PASC and benefit from the wide range of support that they offer, please go to https://www.pascuk.co.uk/join-pasc-uk/Visit Britain have information on the latest updates (including further bans on single use plastics) here: https://www.visitbritain.org/business-advice/latest-regulatory-updatesVisit Britain also have a FRA template for businesses available here: https://www.visitbritain.org/business-advice/complete-your-fire-risk-assessment For a comprehensive guide to understanding your legal obligations, the Visit Britain Pink Book is available here.*from the Govt guidelines‘The fire safety principles and recommendations in this Guide can also be applied to smaller types of outdoor accommodation which fall under the same duties such as holiday caravans, camping and glamping pods, bothies, lodges, shepherd’s huts, tents, tree houses and yurts. Although the fire risks associated with this type of accommodation are generally low, some units may have dedicated electricity supplies, log burners and cooking facilities that will increase the risk’