Approved Document B in England - What’s new in 2025?

On 2^nd March 2025, new changes were introduced to Approved Document B (ADB) to the Building Regulations in England. Alongside the removal of the old National Classes for reaction to fire and roofs and new requirements for sprinklers in care homes, this update introduces key changes to Regulation 38 requiring detailed fire safety information to be supplied to the building owner or facilities manager after certain works to allow them to “understand, operate and maintain the building and the fire safety systems within it”. On complex buildings, this includes providing a detailed fire safety strategy with a cause and effect matrix.

In this article, we look at the new requirements, what information needs to be supplied, when this should be provided and how Colt can support you in delivering this.

When should fire safety information be supplied under Regulation 38?

The updates to Regulation 38 apply where a ‘relevant building’ is constructed or extended (in the context of Approved Document B in England, a ‘relevant building’ is one with a storey (not including plant areas) at least 18 metres from ground level which contains one or more dwellings, an institution or a room for residential purposes). It also applies where a change of use to a building means that the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO) applies to it.

In either case, the contractor or project team carrying out the work should provide the fire safety information to the ‘responsible person’ for the building (typically the owner, landlord or facilities manager) either on completion of works, or at the point the building is occupied (if unoccupied during the work). The ‘responsible persons’ must then acknowledge receipt of this and confirm the information is sufficient for them to be able to operate and maintain the building and its fire safety systems.

The project team will also need to give notice to the ‘relevant authority’ that they have provided this information within 5 days, or 30 days if operating under a self-certification scheme. If a third-party certification scheme is in operation, the third party needs to be notified within 7 days of the information being sent and the ‘relevant authority’ within 30 days.

What fire safety information should be supplied to responsible persons?

The fire safety information that is supplied needs to be detailed enough for the responsible person/s to have a clear understanding of what measures are in place, how these operate (both in isolation and in conjunction with other systems in the building and elements of construction), maintenance schedules and any assumptions that have been made about how the building will be managed.

This should include an as-built plan clearly detailing the positioning and specification of fire safety measures including:

• Any smoke control systems, or ventilation systems with a smoke control function, including mode of operation and control systems
• Escape routes
• Fire separating elements
• Sprinkler systems
• Fire doors

For complex buildings, more detailed information needs to be supplied. In addition to the above this should include:

• A fully developed fire safety strategy which includes a cause and effect matrix for the building based on Annex H of . This matrix is intended to identify potential causes of fire within the building and how the system is intended to activate in response.
• More detailed information about the positioning, operation and maintenance schedules for any passive or active fire safety measures. For smoke control systems this should include any air inlets, smoke outlets, mode of operation and control systems.
• Routine inspection, testing and maintenance schedules and records of any commission tests.

How Colt can help you to comply with the new requirements

The updates to Approved Document B are an important step in ensuring that a golden thread of information about a building is developed, updated and maintained across its lifespan. Inevitably, this may require project teams to draw together large amounts of information, especially on more complex projects.

As a leading provider of smoke control systems, Colt can help to support and streamline this process. Our experienced design teams not only develop systems which meet your requirements and are fully compliant with the latest regulations, but can also advise on what needs to be included as part of the fire safety information, and supply this for our systems. For complex projects, this can include inputting into the cause and effect matrix to ensure this accurately reflects potential risks and how the smoke control system will respond to them.

In addition, through our expertise as a certified Competent Maintainer of smoke control systems on [DH1] buildings of all sizes across the UK, we can ensure that the service and maintenance schedules supplied as part of the information are accurate and fully reflect the latest best practice, including guidance.

Get in touch below to learn more.