Fire safety in Camden's mansion blocks
Camden has a substantial stock of mansion blocks and purpose-built flats dating from the late Victorian and Edwardian periods through to the mid-20th century. These buildings present distinctive fire safety challenges arising from their age, construction type and the cumulative effect of decades of alterations by individual leaseholders. The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 and the Building Safety Act 2022 have significantly increased the obligations on building owners and managing agents to assess and manage fire risk in these buildings.
Why mansion blocks present specific fire safety challenges
Mansion blocks were designed and built before modern fire safety standards existed. While their solid masonry construction provides inherent fire resistance, this original performance is frequently compromised by subsequent alterations. Common issues include service penetrations through compartment walls and floors that have not been fire-stopped, damaged or altered entrance doors whose adequacy needs assessment, alterations to communal lobbies and stairways that have reduced the effectiveness of escape routes, and concealed voids in floor and ceiling constructions that could allow fire and smoke to spread between flats.
The combination of period construction, accumulated alterations and high occupancy makes fire safety assessment in Camden's mansion blocks a priority for responsible building owners and managing agents.
The regulatory landscape
The Fire Safety Act 2021 clarified that the Fire Safety Order applies to a block’s structure, external walls and flat entrance doors between domestic premises and common parts. The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 require fire-door information for residents and, where the top storey is more than 11 metres above ground, annual best-endeavours checks of flat entrance fire doors and quarterly checks of communal fire doors. For occupied higher-risk buildings — at least 18 metres high or at least seven storeys, with at least two residential units — the Building Safety Act framework assigns duties to Accountable Persons and a Principal Accountable Person. It does not require the appointment of a statutory Building Safety Manager; appointed support does not transfer the Accountable Persons’ legal accountability.
Critical fire safety elements in mansion blocks
Compartmentation
Each flat in a mansion block should form a separate fire compartment, with walls, floors and doors providing the fire resistance required by the building’s design, applicable standards and fire strategy. A compartmentation survey identifies breaches in the fire-resistant envelope — including unsealed service penetrations, gaps around pipe runs, compromised fire stopping and voids that allow fire spread — and provides a prioritised remediation schedule.
Fire doors
Fire doors are a critical element of compartmentation. An original timber door that met the relevant standard when the block was built or the door was manufactured may remain adequate if it is undamaged, its gaps are not too large and its self-closing device works. Regulation 10 does not require replacement merely because an existing door lacks current FD30S certification, intumescent strips or smoke seals. A fire door inspection programme, coordinated with the fire risk assessment, should identify defects and support risk-based repair or replacement where a door is found to be inadequate.
External wall assessment
While many Camden mansion blocks are of solid masonry construction with no combustible cladding, some have been over-clad, have had external insulation applied, or feature decorative elements that may contain combustible materials. A FRAEW assessment in accordance with PAS 9980:2026 determines whether the external wall system meets an acceptable standard of fire safety and identifies any remediation required.
Means of escape
Mansion blocks typically rely on a single protected stairway as the primary means of escape, supported by a stay-put strategy for residents not directly affected by the fire. The integrity of this strategy depends on effective compartmentation, adequate fire doors and appropriate detection. Any compromise to these elements — such as fire doors being wedged open, missing self-closers or breached compartmentation — can undermine the stay-put approach and may require a change of evacuation strategy.
Developing a fire safety strategy for your building
Step 1: Commission a fire risk assessment
The starting point for any mansion block is a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment (FRA) carried out by a competent person. The FRA should cover the common parts, the structure, external walls and relevant flat entrance doors within the scope of the Fire Safety Order as amended by the Fire Safety Act 2021, and should include a review of the building’s evacuation strategy. The FRA will identify significant findings and prioritise them for action.
Step 2: Compartmentation and fire door surveys
Following the FRA, a detailed compartmentation survey should be carried out where its findings or the building history justify one, to assess fire-resistant barriers between flats, between flats and common parts, and around service risers and utility cupboards. A coordinated fire-door programme should record the Regulation 10 checks and, where specialist assessment is needed, assess door adequacy against the building’s fire strategy, the door’s age and specification, its condition and applicable requirements. The output should be a risk-prioritised remediation schedule with cost estimates.
Step 3: Remediation and compliance programme
Based on the survey findings, a remediation programme is developed covering fire stopping works, fire door upgrades or replacements, any external wall remediation and improvements to detection and alarm systems. For Camden mansion blocks with multiple leaseholders, this often requires consultation under Section 20 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 if the works exceed the statutory threshold. Planning and managing this programme requires experience in both fire safety and residential leasehold management.
Frequently asked questions
Do Camden mansion blocks need a FRAEW assessment?
It depends on the building's height and external wall construction. Mansion blocks over 18 metres that have any form of external wall system other than plain masonry should have a FRAEW assessment carried out in accordance with PAS 9980:2026. Blocks under 18 metres may also benefit from a FRAEW if there are concerns about external wall construction or if an EWS1 form is required for mortgage lending. Many Camden mansion blocks are solid masonry and may only require a brief desktop assessment to confirm no further investigation is needed.
What are the fire door requirements for Camden mansion blocks?
Where the top storey is more than 11 metres above ground, the responsible person must use best endeavours to check flat entrance fire doors at least every 12 months and must check communal fire doors at least every three months. Regulation 10 does not impose a separate 18-metre threshold, require every existing door to satisfy current FD30S standards, or require replacement merely because a door lacks modern certification. The fire risk assessment determines adequacy; defects should be repaired and doors replaced where a competent assessment finds that necessary.
What is compartmentation and why does it matter?
Compartmentation is the principle of dividing a building into fire-resistant compartments to prevent fire and smoke spread. In a mansion block, each flat should be a separate fire compartment. Over time, compartmentation is frequently compromised by service penetrations, leaseholder alterations, deterioration of fire doors and removal of fire stopping. A compartmentation survey identifies these breaches and provides a prioritised remediation programme to restore the building's fire resistance.
Who is responsible for fire safety in a Camden mansion block?
The ‘responsible person’ under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 is the person who falls within the statutory definition, often a freeholder or another person with control of the common parts. A managing agent may carry out functions on that person’s behalf. The responsible person must maintain the fire risk assessment, manage relevant fire precautions and comply with the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022. Lease and tenancy terms can allocate maintenance of a flat entrance door, but they do not remove the responsible person’s Regulation 10 check duty.
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Sources checked: 18 July 2026. See the current GOV.UK Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 fire-door guidance and Building Safety Regulator guidance on Accountable Persons and Principal Accountable Persons. This article is general guidance; a building-specific fire risk assessment and competent professional or legal advice should determine duties and proportionate action.
Savas Bulduk
BSc (Hons) MRICS, Director & Chartered Building Surveyor.
Writes on Building surveying, Fire safety and facade, External wall systems, Technical due diligence, Contract administration. See the full team profile.