Where it applies, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO) places a duty on the responsible person to take general fire precautions to ensure, as far as is reasonably practicable, the safety of the people on the premises and in the immediate vicinity. ‘Responsible person’ means “the person who has control of the premises in connection with the carrying on of a trade, business or other undertaking”.
In practice this will usually be the landlord, but in the case of absentee landlords where the “carrying on of the business” is undertaken by a managing agent it may be the managing agent.
