Home fire safety visits increase in England

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has reported that fire and rescue services in England carried out 588,855 Home Fire Safety Visits (HFSVs) in the year ending March 2025.

According to MHCLG, this was a 2.9% increase compared with the previous year and almost identical to the number recorded five years earlier.

It said 85% of visits were directed at households with at least one vulnerability, which is the highest proportion recorded since targeting data was introduced in 2021.

The ministry added that most HFSVs were conducted face-to-face, accounting for 98% of all visits in 2025.

It reported that older people and disabled individuals continued to be the main focus of HFSV activity, with 388,817 visits targeted at these groups.

Targeting of fire prevention work

MHCLG explained that targeting of visits varied across groups.

It reported that 166,344 visits were made to homes with at least one resident aged 65 and over with no disabled person in the household.

It said that 168,261 visits were made to households with both an older person and a disabled resident.

The ministry noted that 54,212 visits were completed where all residents were under 65 but at least one was disabled.

It confirmed that 112,306 visits were made to households with other vulnerabilities where specific categories were not recorded.

Smoke alarm ownership levels

MHCLG reported that 92% of households in England had a working smoke alarm in the year ending March 2024.

It stated that this proportion had increased steadily from 87% in 2012.

The ministry said the latest data was based on the English Housing Survey, which collects information annually.

It added that smoke alarm ownership remained one of the key indicators for fire safety monitoring.

The department explained that changes in survey methods during the COVID-19 period had influenced some of the recorded figures.

Fire safety audits and compliance

MHCLG reported that 51,020 fire safety audits were carried out by fire and rescue services in the year ending March 2025.

It said that 58% of audits were recorded as satisfactory, similar to the previous year, though this remained the lowest proportion since 2011.

The ministry explained that shops accounted for the largest share of audits, with 10,106 inspections, followed by care homes at 6,461 and other sleeping accommodation at 5,091.

It added that audits of purpose-built flats increased sharply, particularly in blocks of four to five storeys where inspections rose by 61%.

It said that the average time spent on an audit was 5.2 hours, the highest in the time series.

Non-compliance and enforcement action

MHCLG stated that 10,323 breaches of Article 14 of the Fire Safety Order, covering emergency routes and exits, were recorded in the year ending March 2025.

It reported that this was a 12% decrease compared with the previous year, though breaches of Article 14 remained the most common.

The department said breaches of Article 17 on maintenance and Article 9 on risk assessment were also frequent, with 8,666 and 8,471 breaches respectively.

It noted that 2,972 formal notifications were issued, an increase of 5.3% compared with the previous year and 29% higher than five years ago.

The ministry explained that enforcement notices under Article 30 made up the majority of formal notifications, totalling 1,728.

Wider fire protection activity

MHCLG reported that fire and rescue services carried out 47,665 building regulation consultations in the year ending March 2025.

It said this was a 4.8% increase on the previous year but 6.2% lower than five years earlier.

The ministry confirmed that 26,614 other consultations were undertaken, alongside 119,610 non-statutory fire safety activities.

It added that shops accounted for the highest share of non-statutory activities, totalling 32,583 cases.

It noted that the average time spent on non-statutory activities had reduced over the five-year period to 1.2 hours.

Relevance for fire and safety professionals

The statistics provide detailed information on prevention and protection activities carried out by fire and rescue services.

They highlight the scale of targeting towards vulnerable households, which may help services assess future demand.

The data on smoke alarm ownership supports evaluation of national campaigns and housing policies.

Audit outcomes and enforcement activity provide evidence on compliance trends in different types of premises.

Fire prevention statistics published for England: Summary

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has released annual fire prevention and protection statistics for England.

The release covered the year ending March 2025.

It reported that 588,855 Home Fire Safety Visits were carried out, a 2.9% increase on the previous year.

It said 85% of visits were targeted at households with at least one vulnerability.

It confirmed that 92% of households in England had a working smoke alarm in March 2024.

It reported that fire and rescue services completed 51,020 fire safety audits in 2025.

It said that 58% of audits had a satisfactory outcome.

It confirmed that breaches of Article 14 remained the most common, with 10,323 recorded.

It reported that 2,972 formal notifications were issued in 2025.

It said fire and rescue services also completed 47,665 building regulation consultations.

It confirmed that 26,614 other consultations were carried out.

It reported that 119,610 non-statutory fire safety activities were completed.