Fire certificates for buildings
You must have a fire certificate for premises such as:
- hospitals, regardless of how many people sleep there
- care or nursing homes, regardless of how many people sleep there
- ports and airport and any building which forms part of these. Including areas used for passenger arrivals and departures from a ship or aircraft
- hostels, tourist accommodation and lodging houses and residential schools, if they either provide sleeping accommodation for:
- more than 5 people, some of which is above the first floor or below the ground floor
- for more than 40 people
- residential schools
Fire certificates for houses in multiple occupation (HMOs)
If you own or lease buildings occupied by people who don't form a single household, your building may be classed as an HMO and you'll need a fire certificate.
Your building may be an HMO if any of the following apply:
- the building, or part of the building, is owned or leased and has been converted into flats or bedsits
- more than 5 people live in the building and one or more of them sleep below the ground floor or above the first floor
- more than 40 people live in the building on any floor
- more than 1 of the flats or bedsits shares a toilet, bathroom or cooking facilities with another flat or bedsit
- the building has been converted into a block of self-contained flats, of which fewer than 2 thirds are owner-occupied
The Fire Precautions Law
This legislation enforced by the States of Jersey Fire and Rescue Service sets out the type of premises required to have a fire certificate.
Fire Precautions (Jersey) Law 1977 on Jersey Law website
How to determine if you need a fire certificate
Use this flow chart to decide if your property is an HMO. If you're not sure, contact the Jersey Fire and Rescue Service.
Premises that need a fire certificate are set out in greater detail in the Fire Precautions (Designated Premises) (Jersey) Regulations.
Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) flow chart
Fire Precautions (Designated Premises) (Jersey) Regulations 2012
Cost and application process
The cost of your application depends on the type of application you're intending to make.
Fees for Fire Safety Applications
How to apply for a fire certificate
Apply for a fire certificate by completing the online application form. Your completed form should be sent to the Fire and Rescue Service.
Renew your fire certificate
All fire certificates must be renewed every 36 months from the date of issue.
By renewing your fire certificate, we'll know about any significant changes that you've made to your premises, including:
- change of ownership
- change of responsible person in the premises
- change of use
- material or structural changes
Cost to renew your fire certificate
The renewal cost is £420. If you've made significant material or structural alterations, you may need to pay further charges.
When to renew your fire certificate
We'll write to you 2 months before you need to renew your certificate. You should return the completed form to us before the date stated in the letter.
You'll be invoiced separately for the renewal fee.
If we don't receive your application form by the stated date, your fire certificate will be considered cancelled. This means you may have to reduce the number of people within your premises until you apply for a new fire certificate.
Failing to return your completed application of renewal by the expiry date will incur a 100% submission penalty which will be added to the standard renewal fee.
Renew your fire certificate
Making changes or material alterations to certificated premises
We can inspect premises to see if conditions have changed so much that the means of escape and related fire precautions are no longer adequate.
You must inform the Chief Fire Officer in advance if you plan to make either:
-
a material extension of, or material structural alteration to, the premises
-
a material alteration in the internal arrangements of the premises or in the furniture or equipment with which the premises are provided
Material alterations are any alteration which would make escape routes and related fire precautions inadequate in relation to the normal conditions of use of the premises as explained to, and seen by, the inspecting officer at the time the fire certificate was issued.
You may not need to inform the Chief Fire Officer each time you want to rearrange the furniture in a room or to redecorate it. You should do so if your proposals involve physical alterations to the means of escape and its associated protection. Even if these are only temporary.
You must also notify the Chief Fire Officer in advance if you plan to begin to keep explosives or highly flammable materials in your premises.
If you intend to make any changes or material alterations to certificated premises, you must advise the Chief Fire Officer by filling in and returning an FPA2 form.
Permission for premises alteration
Change of owner or occupier
You must notify the Chief Fire Officer if you become either the new:
- owner
- occupier
- responsible person
of certificated premises. Notify us by completing and sending the online FPA3 form.
Amend fire certificate details
Log books
If you're the premises' occupier issued with a fire certificate you're required by law to keep a log book. The log book must include records of:
- testing and maintenance of fire protection equipment
- staff training
- fire drills
The log book must be available for inspection as and when required.
Fire safety log book templates and extra pages
gov.je