Housing associations, managing agents and inspection companies working in Manchester run fire risk assessment programmes under England's regulatory framework. Here's what applies, how often it's due, and how local providers manage it with Kaarr.
In England the FRA duty sits in the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, clarified by the Fire Safety Act 2021 to include external walls and flat entrance doors, with the Building Safety Act 2022 adding duties for higher-risk buildings.
Manchester City Council is the local housing authority, and the city sits within Greater Manchester, where the combined authority has pushed a regional approach to private rented standards. Several large registered providers are headquartered in or around the city.
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service is the fire and rescue authority.
The city combines Victorian terraces, large post-war estates and a dense cluster of recently built high-rise residential blocks in the centre, which means older damp and ventilation problems sit alongside newer-build fire safety and cladding questions.
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service is part of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, with oversight sitting with the Mayor and a deputy mayor. Its Remediation Acceleration Plan 2025-2029 records an agreement with the region's private sector housing teams that the Fire Safety Order is the preferred enforcement route for fire safety defects in high-rise flats, rather than the Housing Act 2004. The plan names GMFRS as lead regulator for inspection and enforcement in most cases, working with councils and the Building Safety Regulator where other powers are needed. GMFRS also runs regular drop-ins for housing providers and managing agents. For a responsible person in Manchester, the fire risk assessment is therefore likely to be read first by the fire service. Check the current plan for changes.
The workflow, report template and scheduling for fire risk assessment are the same in every city. See how Kaarr runs fire risk assessment, then book a demo with your Manchester stock in mind.
Manchester is in England, so the governing framework is: Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 · Fire Safety Act 2021 · Building Safety Act 2022. In England the FRA duty sits in the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, clarified by the Fire Safety Act 2021 to include external walls and flat entrance doors, with the Building Safety Act 2022 adding duties for higher-risk buildings.
FRAs must be reviewed regularly and after any material change — annual review is the standard for residential blocks, with higher-risk buildings on more intensive regimes under the Building Safety Act.
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