London Fire Brigade (LFB) has published new safety guidance for residents, property owners, and building managers following the introduction of a scheme making plug-in solar panels available for domestic use

From 27 August, households have been able to purchase easy-to-install solar kits after a legal change introduced by government. Unlike traditional solar photovoltaic systems, which are typically mounted on rooftops and connected through dedicated electrical installations, the new panels can be installed on terraces, balconies, and sheds.

The legal changes are intended to support wider adoption of renewable energy technologies, with the government stating that households could save up to £110 a year on electricity bills through the use of clean, homegrown power. Each plug-in solar kit is capable of producing up to 800W of electricity, which the government says is enough to provide up to 20% of an average home’s electricity consumption.

However, as the technology becomes more widely available, LFB has highlighted the importance of understanding and managing potential fire safety risks associated with the systems.

Assistant Commissioner Pam Oparaocha said: “As with any new to the market electrical appliances, there may be associated fire risks, and as Londoners start installing the new plug-in solar panels, we urge them to look at our safety tips to keep themselves and others safe."

LFB has advised residents to purchase equipment only from trusted manufacturers and retailers and to ensure systems are installed, operated, and maintained in accordance with manufacturers’ instructions. It also recommends that tenants contact their landlord, housing provider, freeholder, or property management company before purchasing or installing any plug-in solar equipment.

You can read the full story here.

The Scottish Housing Regulator has published its National Report on the Scottish Social Housing Charter for 2025/26, based on information submitted by social landlords through their Annual Return on the Charter (ARC).

Whilst we have provided a link to the full publication, we have identified, from Part 4 (Analysis) information relating to tenant and resident safety.

During 2025/26, the report identified that social landlords met their requirements on gas safety for 99.9% of their homes with 449 occasions of non-compliance. 35 landlords had at least one instance of not carrying out a gas safety check when required, ranging from one missed check to 272 missed checks with 14 of the 35 landlords missing just one check. All landlords have either completed the missed gas safety checks or are working to resolve the remaining cases.

The most common reason cited by landlords for the missed or late checks were administrative or human error; this included properties newly built or acquired by the landlord not being added to the list of properties which require a gas safety check. It is essential that landlords have robust systems and processes in place to ensure they comply with tenant and resident safety duties, including reconciliation of property data for gas safety, at all times.

In 2025/26, SHR introduced two new tenant and resident safety indicators on electrical and fire safety.

During 2025/26, social landlords reported 28,528 instances when an EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report) was not carried out within five years of the last EICR, as required by the Scottish Housing Quality Standard (SHQS). 110 landlords had at least one instance of an EICR not being carried out by the five-year anniversary, ranging from one EICR to 6,531. Of the 28,528 EICRs not carried out by the five-year anniversary date, 24,920 were in local authority owned homes.

With regards to satisfactory smoke and heat detectors required by SHQS at 31 March 2026, there were 2,450 homes that did not have these. This was across 46 landlords and ranged from one detector to 1,180. A total of 2,144 of the 2,450 outstanding smoke and heat detectors outstanding at the year-end were in local authority owned homes.

SHR is currently engaging with 11 landlords on EICR compliance or about both EICRs and smoke detectors; 10 of which are local authorities and one RSL. We are engaging due to the volume of outstanding checks and/or the landlord’s progress in completing the checks to ensure that they all have urgent and credible plans to achieve full compliance.

Some landlords did confirm in their ARC return that the EICRs have subsequently been carried out. Where EICRs or smoke detectors are still required, landlords have told us that they are continuing to explore options, including providing additional support, to ensure the work is completed as quickly as possible. Many other EICRs not completed by the five-year anniversary date were in properties that were void, including those awaiting disposal, demolition or refurbishment, with landlords confirming that EICRs would be completed before any properties were re-let.

While access-related issues were the most commonly cited cause of delay, landlords remain responsible for having robust arrangements in place to achieve compliance as quickly as possible.

You can read the full publication on the SHR website here.

The Passive Fire Knowledge Group (PFKG) has published three new Knowledge Shares to help address some of the most common misunderstandings in passive fire protection.

The new Knowledge Shares are:

🔹 KS10 – Active fire/smoke curtain standards

🔹 KS11 – Active fire curtains: insulation vs radiation

🔹 KS12 – Fire barriers and cavity barriers – what’s the difference?

These are free to download now via the resources section of the PFKG website: https://pfkg.org/reports-2/

Men working in skilled trades experience higher rates of mesothelioma mortality than the wider population.

Asbestos was widely used in UK construction until it was banned in 1999. As a result, it can still be present in buildings constructed or refurbished before 2000, and routine maintenance, repair or renovation work may disturb it.

Trades with higher potential exposure include:

• electrical engineering
• carpentry and joinery
• plumbing
• heating and ventilation
• flooring and wall tiling

Mesothelioma is a cancer caused almost exclusively by exposure to asbestos. It most commonly affects the lining of the lungs, but can also affect the lining of the abdomen.

Symptoms may include:

• chest pain or shortness of breath
• a persistent cough, difficulty swallowing or a hoarse voice
• fatigue, a high temperature or heavy night sweats
• unexplained weight loss or loss of appetite
• curved nails over rounded fingertips (clubbing)

These symptoms can develop many years after exposure to asbestos. If you or someone you know working in the trades is experiencing any of these symptoms, encourage them to speak to their GP.

HSE campaigns provide free guidance and resources, including:

• practical asbestos guidance and a quick guide for tradespeople
• employer guidance on managing asbestos safely

Aligned to the priorities set out in its 2024 – 2027 Strategy, the Regulator said its plans are focused on delivering its statutory regulatory functions, listening to tenants, service users and other stakeholders, as well as being an effective public body.

This year, the Regulator is also reviewing how it works to reflect its resource allocation, and it will prepare a new Strategy for implementation in 2028.

Garry Coutts, chair of the Scottish Housing Regulator, said: “We will continue to take account of the big challenges facing tenants and social landlords, including cost inflation, rent affordability, and the acute problems around homelessness.

“In the coming year, we will have a strong regulatory focus on the quality and safety of homes that social landlords provide to tenants and their families. We will work with all our stakeholders to support the delivery of good quality social housing outcomes and shared objectives across the sector.”

You can read more here.

The Building Standards Division (BSD) of Scottish Government requested that the Building Research Establishment (BRE) scrutinise data, which is held by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS), in order to determine specific fire death events and any correlations relating to external cladding (the data that the SFRS holds comes from its own Incident Recording System).

This report, published in March 2026, builds on a first phase of work which was reported on 09 June 2023 (Fire fatalities beyond the dwelling of fire origin in Scotland - Draft Interim Report).

The study reports on fire fatalities which have occurred in Scotland where the victim has died beyond the dwelling of fire origin. This specifically includes multi storey flats and tenements and whether external wall cladding was recorded as being involved during the fatal fire event.

The study is focused on 75 reports covering 81 fire fatalities. The key findings from the second phase of work are shown below:

• In 80% of these (65 fire fatalities) the room of fire origin was determined to be -the bedroom, kitchen or living room.
• Most fatalities occurred in the bedroom (42%).
• There was only one case of a fire fatality occurring beyond the flat of fire origin; the death resulted from smoke inhalation. The SFRS investigation, concluded that, in their professional opinion, had the occupant been in, and / or remained within their own flat for the entire duration of the fire event and followed SFRS advice to open windows and to ‘stay put’’, this individual would likely not have died. The SFRS personnel further reported that there was no failure of the compartmentation – BRE Global noted the floor of the flat did collapse to the flat below at a later stage of the fire.
• No mention was made by the SFRS, in any of the 75 FI reports, that cladding had either:

1. a) been involved in any of these fires, or
2. b) contributed to the spread of fire beyond the flat of fire origin, or
3. c) contributed to the single fire fatality, beyond the flat of fire origin.

The full report and information contained within, can be found on the Scottish Government website here.

BSI has released BS 8214:2026 Fire-resisting and smoke control doors – Practical considerations concerning specification, design and performance in use – Code of practice.

The new standard, published on 20 March 2026, replaces BS 8214:2016, which has now been withdrawn and represents a substantial update to the long-standing fire door standard, marking “an important step forward in fire door guidance.”

Unlike its predecessor, which focused predominantly on timber-based assemblies, the revised document expands its remit significantly. It now “covers fire doors as a coordinated complete system however they are supplied to site, whether this is as door assemblies, doorsets or door kits.” Crucially, it no longer limits itself to timber constructions but instead “covers fire doors of many materials, including timber, steel, glazed metal, and composite designs.

This broadening of scope reflects the diversity of fire door solutions now used across the UK’s construction and refurbishment sectors. According to the revised guidance, BS 8214:2026 provides recommendations for “pedestrian fire-resisting and smoke control doors of all types and materials – including timber, metal, aluminium, and composite doors.”

A key development in the 2026 edition is its extension into areas previously lacking structured industry guidance. As the document notes, it “addresses the lack of a code of practice for metal and composite fire doors, providing new guidance for installation, maintenance and manufacture.”

BS 8214:2026 introduces clearer explanations of door classifications and performance evidence, supported by technical updates across several key areas. Notably, Section 9.4 has been strengthened to “prevent misinterpretation and non-compliant installations,” addressing a recurring industry concern.

Other updates include “improved guidance on sealing the interface between fire door frames and the surrounding structure,” with detailed recommendations on acceptable materials such as stone wool, mastic, and foam sealants.

BSI emphasises that fire doors remain critical to life safety, noting they “work in combination with other construction elements to protect escape routes and control fire and smoke spread.” The revised standard seeks to ensure they are “specified, installed, and maintained according to best practice, reducing risk and increasing trust.”

What's changed?

BS 8214:2026 supersedes BS 8214:2016 and introduces several important changes:

Expands coverage from timber doors to include fire door assemblies of all materials (timber, steel, aluminium, composite), with annexes for material-specific guidance.

Addresses the lack of a code of practice for metal and composite fire doors, providing new guidance for installation, maintenance and manufacture.

Clarifies installation requirements, especially section 9.4, to prevent misinterpretation and non-compliant installations.

Updates smoke control guidance to align with revisions in BS 9991, including best practice for sealing under-door gaps.

Incorporates changes required by post-Brexit legislation (UKCA and CE marking) and new regulatory requirements from the Building Safety Act, Fire Safety Act and related legislation.

Responds to feedback from industry associations, certification bodies and regulatory authorities.

More information about the Standard can be found on the BSI website here.

The British Standards Institute (BSI) has updated its code of practice for the emergency lighting of premises, setting out clear recommendations and guidance on the design, installation, wiring, and maintenance of emergency lighting systems

Superseding the 2016 version, the revised standard – BS 5266-1:2025 Emergency lighting. Code of practice for the emergency lighting of premises – aims to promote a consistent approach to emergency lighting and ensure people can safely exit or remain in a building during emergencies, while also supporting the use of essential safety equipment.

BSI states that the 2025 edition “does more than refresh the guidance”: it expands the scope of the standard to reflect advances in technology and supports a “more complete approach to safety in modern buildings”. In particular, it reflects changes to the European standards (EN 1838 and EN 50172) and the real-world experiences of emergency lighting system designers, installers, and operators.

BS 5266-1:2025 also sees an expanded scope to address local area lighting and standby lighting in addition to emergency escape lighting, with the document covering the following aspects:

• Assisting evacuation – helping occupants leave a building safely during an emergency.
• Protecting occupants who remain – ensuring safety when people stay in the building during an incident.
• Supporting continued operations – enabling normal activities to continue if the normal lighting fails.

The guidance highlights the importance of keeping escape routes clear and illuminated, ensuring fire safety systems (such as call points and firefighting equipment) are kept accessible, and minimising panic risks in confined spaces such as lifts.

You can read more on the FPA website and on the BSI website.

The Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR) has today published its annual summary of the notifiable events reported by Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) during 2024/25.

Notifiable events are things that RSLs must report to the Regulator as they could potentially pose a risk to tenants’ interests, the landlord’s operations, or the broader reputation of the social housing sector.

In 2024/25, RSLs submitted 50 notifiable events within the health and safety category, as opposed to 42 the previous year.

The Regulator reported that:

🔹 Health and Safety NEs are not reported under formal subgroups, however a review of submitted NEs in this category shows that falling architectural elements, missing safety checks and fires were the most frequently reported NEs, accounting for close to half of submitted NEs in this category.

🔹 Staff/Contractor injuries, RAAC, cladding, missed asbestos surveys and other miscellaneous issues made up the remainder of the NEs reported in this category.

You can read more here.