Servanda · guides
What must be kept.
The checks a block of flats needs in England, how often, and the law behind each, in plain English. Checked 2026-10-23. General guidance, not legal advice.
The compliance calendar.
What a typical managed block in England is expected to have done, and how often. A building's own fire risk assessment, insurer or report may set a shorter interval.
| Check | The law behind it | How often |
|---|---|---|
| Fire risk assessment | Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 | Reviewed at least yearly; reassessed every one to three years by risk |
| Communal fire door checks | Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 | Every three months, in blocks over 11 metres |
| Flat entrance door checks | Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 | Every year, best endeavours, in blocks over 11 metres |
| Fire safety information to residents | Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 | On moving in and every year |
| Firefighting lifts and equipment | Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 | Every month, in blocks of 18 metres or seven storeys |
| Fire alarm service | Fire risk assessment and the system's standard | Commonly every six months |
| Emergency lighting | Fire risk assessment and the system's standard | Monthly short test; yearly full-duration test |
| Communal electrical installation (EICR) | Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 | Usually every five years, or as the last report says |
| Passenger lift thorough examination | LOLER 1998 | Every six months, or per examination scheme |
| Asbestos register and plan review | Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 | Regularly; commonly every year |
| Legionella risk assessment | HSW Act 1974, COSHH 2002, HSE L8 | Regularly and on change; commonly every two years |
The guides.
- Fire safetyFire risk assessments for blocks of flatsHow often a block of flats needs a fire risk assessment in England, who is responsible, what it must cover since the Fire Safety Act 2021, and what to do with the findings.
- Fire safetyFire door checks in blocks of flatsWhat the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 require of blocks of flats: fire door checks every three months and every year, information to residents, and the extra duties for high-rise buildings.
- ElectricalElectrical testing of communal areasHow often the landlord's electrical supply in a block of flats needs an EICR, what the codes C1, C2, C3 and FI mean, and how it differs from testing inside a rented flat.
- LiftsLift inspections in blocks of flatsHow often a passenger lift in a block of flats needs a thorough examination under LOLER, how that differs from routine maintenance, and what happens when the examiner finds a serious defect.
- AsbestosAsbestos in the common partsThe duty to manage asbestos in the common parts of blocks of flats under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012: surveys, the register, the management plan and how often to review it.
- WaterLegionella in blocks of flatsWhen a block of flats needs a legionella risk assessment, how often to review it, and the temperatures and checks that control the risk in communal water systems.
- LeaseholdSection 20 consultationWhen a landlord must consult leaseholders under section 20 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, the £250 and £100 thresholds, the 30-day and 21-day deadlines, and what happens if it goes wrong.
- SalesLPE1 and FME1 sale packsWhat the LPE1 and FME1 forms are, what a managing agent is asked for when a flat or a house on a managed estate is sold, and how fees and turnaround work.