Approximately 12,500 residential buildings in England stand over 18 metres tall — and as of 6 April 2026, every qualifying one must have a formal system in place to help vulnerable residents escape safely in a fire. That date is not a future deadline. It has already passed. If you own, manage, or survey a high-rise or medium-rise residential building in London, the clock is ticking on compliance.
The introduction of Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans PEEPs April 2026 high-rise medium-rise buildings marks one of the most significant shifts in residential fire safety law since the Grenfell Tower tragedy. Driven by the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 recommendations and enacted through the Fire Safety (Residential Evacuation Plans) (England) Regulations 2025, these rules place new, enforceable duties on Responsible Persons — and they intersect directly with party wall obligations in ways that many building professionals have not yet considered.
Key Takeaways 🔑
- PEEPs are now law for qualifying high-rise and medium-rise residential buildings in England from 6 April 2026.
- High-rise buildings (18m+ or 7+ storeys) and medium-rise buildings (11m+) with simultaneous evacuation strategies are in scope.
- Responsible Persons must proactively engage residents who may need individual evacuation plans.
- Party wall works that affect fire compartmentation, escape routes, or shared evacuation infrastructure can trigger PEEP review obligations.
- London freeholders and building managers should seek specialist advice where party wall awards and fire safety duties overlap.
What Are Residential PEEPs and Who Do They Apply To?
A Residential Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (RPEEP) is an individual, person-centred plan created for any resident who may need assistance to safely leave their home during a fire. This includes people with:
- 🦽 Permanent or temporary mobility limitations
- 👁️ Visual or hearing impairments
- 🏥 Medical conditions or injuries affecting evacuation
- Any other circumstance making unaided escape difficult
The plan is not a generic document. It is tailored to the individual, created in consultation with the resident, and must only be prepared with their consent.
Which Buildings Are In Scope?
The regulations apply to two distinct categories:
| Building Type | Height Threshold | Additional Condition |
|---|---|---|
| High-rise residential | 18 metres or 7+ storeys | Two or more sets of domestic premises |
| Medium-rise residential | More than 11 metres | Must operate a simultaneous evacuation strategy |
💡 Pull Quote: “A simultaneous evacuation strategy — where all residents leave as soon as the alarm sounds — triggers PEEP obligations for buildings over 11 metres. Many London mansion blocks and purpose-built flats fall squarely in this category.”
Notably, short-term rental buildings also fall within scope if they meet the height or evacuation strategy conditions. London’s significant short-let sector should take note.
What Must a PEEP Actually Contain?
Each plan must document several specific elements to be compliant. A well-prepared RPEEP will include:
- Agreed place of safety away from the building
- Safest evacuation route from the resident’s flat to the exit
- Names of willing assistants and backup assistants
- Specialist equipment needs (e.g., evacuation chairs)
- Fire and Rescue Service access details — key codes, entry methods
- Activities that must NOT be attempted during a rescue
- Communication methods for alerting the resident to an emergency
The Responsible Person must also maintain a Building Emergency Evacuation Plan (BEEP) — a master document that incorporates all individual PEEPs, resident instructions, and details of any Evacuation Alert Systems installed in the building.
The Responsible Person’s Duties
The Responsible Person — typically the freeholder, building manager, or managing agent — must:
- Proactively communicate to all residents that they can request a PEEP
- Prepare PEEPs in consultation with self-identifying residents
- Review and update plans when a resident’s circumstances change
- Share relevant information with the Fire and Rescue Service
This is not a passive duty. Waiting for residents to come forward is insufficient. Active outreach is required.
Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans PEEPs April 2026: Implications for London Building Managers
London presents a unique compliance landscape. The capital has a high concentration of converted Victorian and Edwardian buildings, purpose-built post-war blocks, and new high-rise developments — many of which sit in the 11–30 metre height range. For building managers overseeing these properties, the priority actions are clear:
Immediate Steps for Compliance
- ✅ Identify whether your building is in scope — check height, storey count, and evacuation strategy
- ✅ Conduct a gap analysis against the April 2026 requirements
- ✅ Begin resident engagement — issue formal communications explaining the right to request a PEEP
- ✅ Update your Safety Case and fire risk assessment assumptions
- ✅ Brief your board or freeholder on new legal duties and associated costs
- ✅ Appoint a competent PEEP provider if in-house capacity is limited
For leaseholders, the picture is equally important. If you have a disability or health condition affecting your ability to evacuate, you have a legal right to request an RPEEP from your building’s Responsible Person. Do not assume this will happen automatically.
Where Party Wall Works and PEEPs Collide
This is where the conversation becomes particularly important for London freeholders, developers, and building owners undertaking construction works.
Party wall works — whether involving structural alterations, extensions, or excavations — can directly affect the fire safety infrastructure of a building. Specifically:
Fire Compartmentation and Party Walls
Many party walls in residential buildings serve a dual function: they are both structural boundaries and fire compartmentation elements. Works that breach, alter, or temporarily compromise these walls can:
- Disrupt fire-rated separations between flats
- Create gaps in protected escape routes
- Affect the integrity of fire doors and intumescent seals
Under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996, any notifiable works to a party structure require formal notice and, where consent is withheld, a party wall award. From April 2026, surveyors drafting those awards must now consider whether the proposed works could affect:
- Existing PEEPs — particularly agreed evacuation routes
- Shared evacuation infrastructure (corridors, lobbies, stairwells)
- The building’s overall BEEP assumptions
🔥 Key Point: A party wall award that permits works affecting a protected escape corridor could inadvertently invalidate an existing PEEP for a disabled resident on that floor. This is a live legal risk.
What Should Party Wall Awards Address?
When party wall notices are served for works in qualifying buildings, the award should now routinely consider:
- Pre-works fire risk assessment confirming compartmentation status
- Conditions requiring reinstatement of fire-rated elements to original specification
- Notification obligations — informing the Responsible Person of works affecting escape routes
- Temporary evacuation provisions during the construction phase
- Post-works sign-off by a competent fire safety professional
For adjoining owners in high-rise or medium-rise buildings, this matters enormously. Works next door could affect your flat’s fire safety without your knowledge — unless the party wall process properly captures these risks.
A well-drafted schedule of condition prepared before works begin should now document fire safety elements — door ratings, intumescent strips, compartmentation walls — as standard practice in qualifying buildings.
The London Context: Why Specialist Advice Matters
London’s residential building stock is complex. Many buildings straddle multiple regulatory regimes simultaneously: the Building Safety Act 2022, the Fire Safety Act 2021, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996, and now the Fire Safety (Residential Evacuation Plans) (England) Regulations 2025.
For building owners carrying out works, navigating these overlapping duties without specialist support is genuinely risky. A party wall surveyor who understands fire safety obligations — and vice versa — is no longer a luxury. It is a practical necessity.
Whether your project is in Central London, East London, or South London, the intersection of party wall obligations and PEEP compliance is a real and growing concern for anyone working on qualifying residential buildings.
Conclusion: Act Now — Compliance Is Not Optional
The Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans PEEPs April 2026 high-rise medium-rise buildings regime is in force. For London freeholders, leaseholders, and building managers, the question is no longer whether to comply — it is how quickly you can get there.
Here are your actionable next steps:
- Determine scope — is your building 18m+, 7+ storeys, or 11m+ with simultaneous evacuation? If yes, you are in scope now.
- Appoint or review your Responsible Person — ensure they understand the new RPEEP duties.
- Issue resident communications — formally notify all residents of their right to request a PEEP.
- Review any planned or ongoing party wall works — assess whether they affect fire compartmentation or evacuation routes.
- Instruct a specialist party wall surveyor who understands the fire safety landscape — particularly where works touch shared escape infrastructure.
At Party Wall Surveyor London, we work with freeholders, leaseholders, and building managers across the capital to ensure party wall awards properly reflect modern fire safety obligations. If you are navigating the new PEEP requirements alongside construction works, contact us to discuss how we can help protect your building, your residents, and your legal position.
