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Almost half (43 per cent) of buildings in England have failed their fire safety checks on the first visit in the past year, research has revealed.
The study, carried out by safety experts, Direct365, analysed the latest Home Office Fire Statistics in England to reveal why so many buildings are failing audits and which regions are leading the way in safety.
National safety standards have hit a 14-year low and fire safety compliance now stands at just 57 per cent, marking a significant decline from 2016/17 when the satisfactory rate was 69 per cent.
The regions with the highest fire safety audit failures
Humberside Fire and Rescue Service recorded the highest amount of audit failures. Out of the 942 audits carried out in the region in 2024/25, 92 per cent resulted in a failure.
Lancashire saw the second highest failure rate, with 88 per cent of its audited buildings failing to meet the required standards.
Northumberland, Buckinghamshire, and Devon and Somerset collectively take third position, each recording a 72 per cent failure rate of premises.
The regions with the highest fire safety pass rate
Cheshire received the highest rate of fire safety passes. In the past year, 92 per cent of its audited buildings were found to be satisfactory.
In second position is Staffordshire, with a 90 per cent pass rate. This is followed by Hertfordshire, where 89 per cent of audits were successful.
Cambridgeshire and Leicestershire follow closely behind, with pass rates of 88 per cent and 85 per cent respectively.
This showcases a disparity between fire safety compliance in the North and South, with 70 per cent of regions with the top 10 pass rates are located in the South of England.
The top reasons for fire safety audit failures
There has been a declining rate of enforcement efficiency over the past decade. While Fire and Rescue Services are conducting 4,000 fewer audits than in 2016, they uncovered 4,000 more breaches in 2024/25.
Emergency routes and exits were cited as the primary cause of audit failure, with 10,323 breaches recorded in the past year. These breaches are given for hazards including blocked exits, locked fire exit doors, broken emergency lighting or wedged open fire doors.
Maintenance failures were the second most frequent breach, accounting for 8,666 recorded instances. This reason for failure is given to premises which fail to perform fire alarm tests, service fire extinguishers or where fire doors do not operate properly.
In third position, 8,471 breaches were recorded for inadequate or missing Fire Risk Assessments. Under Article 9 of the Fire Safety Order, an up-to-date fire safety assessment is a mandatory requirement for almost all commercial premises, yet it remains in the top three reasons for an audit failure.
In fourth and fifth positions were procedures for serious and imminent danger and for danger areas (8,013 breaches) and duty to take general fire precautions (7,615 breaches).
Karl Bantleman at Direct365 commented: “The data reveals a worrying decline in the safety standards of buildings across the country. It is apparent that Fire and Rescue Services are stretched to their limit and at the current rate of inspection, it would take 48 years to audit all current premises. Despite this, standards are continuing to slide, with national compliance hitting a 14-year low in the past 12 months.
“Of course, the safety standard of buildings varies depending on where in the country you are located. However, with an average pass rate of just 57 per cent, improvements are needed urgently across the board.
“To help protect premises and ensure fire safety audits are satisfactory, business owners must keep all emergency exits clear, ensure fire doors are never wedged open, and, most importantly, ensure Fire Risk Assessments are reviewed annually.”
