Recommendation P1-8: Require monthly firefighter lift inspections
From Grenfell Tower Inquiry: Phase 1 Report, published 30 October 2019.
Recommendation
The owner and manager of every high-rise residential building be required by law to carry out regular inspections of any lifts that are designed to be used by firefighters in an emergency and to report the results of such inspections to their local fire and rescue service at monthly intervals.
In brief (written by this site)
The Home Office stated in February 2025 that the recommendation was complete, following the commencement of the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 in January 2023 (Home Office, Feb 2025). The department noted in the same February 2025 update that the regulations require the responsible person for a high-rise residential building to undertake monthly checks of firefighter lifts and report any fault taking longer than 24 hours to resolve to the local fire and rescue service (Home Office, Feb 2025). HM Government had previously accepted the recommendation in principle in January 2020 (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government response, Jan 2020).
Sources
AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 26 Sep 2026. The record below is the sources' own words.
Government response
Sir Martin Moore-Bick’s Phase 1 report was exhaustive in detail and made a series of findings and recommendations relevant to government. As the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government made clear at the time of publication, the Government accepted in principle all these recommendations. This includes new duties on building owners and managers to: issue information to Fire and Rescue Services, ensure there are premises information boxes, carry out regular inspections of lifts and fire doors, equip buildings with the facilities for Fire and Rescue Services to send evacuation signals and ensure building floor numbers are clearly marked.
How this response relates to the recommendation
Site note: This is the government's response to the Phase 1 report (CP 209, 21 January 2020). It is organised by theme, not by recommendation, and states its position once, in its introduction: "the Government accepted in principle all these recommendations", meaning the recommendations "relevant to government". Where the row shows a passage from a themed section, that is the section on this recommendation's subject; where it shows the introduction, the response has no passage on this recommendation's subject. The status on a recommendation addressed to government is the introduction's. Where the recommendation is addressed to building owners, the emergency services or the National Police Air Service, the response describes work without stating acceptance, and the row is marked noted.
Site note: The source gives this passage once, for the introduction, on every recommendation relevant to government whose subject the response does not take up in a themed section. The same words are recorded on P1-5, P1-6, P1-8, P1-9, P1-30, P1-32, P1-33 and P1-36.
Delivery
Home Office says completed (26 February 2025)
Status: complete
In 2020 the then government consulted on its proposals to implement this recommendation in its Fire Safety Consultation and responded to the consultation in 2021 ).
On 18 May 2022 regulations were laid under Article 24 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 to implement this recommendation. The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 came into force on 23 January 2023.
Under the Regulations, the responsible person for a high-rise residential building must undertake monthly checks of lifts for use by fire-fighters, evacuation lifts and other essential fire-fighting equipment. Where a fault is identified which will take longer than 24 hours to fix, the responsible person must report this via electronic means to their local fire and rescue service.
From: Progress against the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 recommendations, February 2025
Site note: This is the Home Office's thematic update on progress against the Phase 1 recommendations. Its introduction says it includes updates from the relevant government departments and assurances received from the National Fire Chiefs Council, London Fire Brigade and other emergency services on their progress. The status line and the passage are the Home Office's compilation of what those bodies reported to it; where the passage gives a status for fire and rescue services and a separate one for London Fire Brigade, both are shown as printed.
Site note: The source gives this passage once, for recommendations 33.13a and 33.13b together. The same words are recorded on P1-8 and P1-9.
Earlier statements on delivery (2)
Home Office (16 September 2024)
Status: Complete
In 2020 the then Government consulted on its proposals to implement this recommendation in its Fire Safety Consultation and responded to the consultation in 2021 ( link ).
On 18 May 2022 regulations were laid under Article 24 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 to implement this recommendation. The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 came into force on 23 January 2023.
Under the Regulations, the responsible person for a high-rise residential building must undertake monthly checks of lifts for use by fire-fighters, evacuation lifts and other essential fire-fighting equipment. Where a fault is identified which will take longer than 24 hours to fix, the responsible person must report this via electronic means to their local fire and rescue service.
From: Progress against the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 recommendations, September 2024
Site note: This is the Home Office's thematic update on progress against the Phase 1 recommendations. Its introduction says it includes updates from the relevant government departments and assurances received from the National Fire Chiefs Council, London Fire Brigade and other emergency services on their progress. The status line and the passage are the Home Office's compilation of what those bodies reported to it; where the passage gives a status for fire and rescue services and a separate one for London Fire Brigade, both are shown as printed.
Site note: The source gives this passage once, for recommendations 33.13a and 33.13b together. The same words are recorded on P1-8 and P1-9.
Home Office (5 February 2024)
Status: Complete
The Government consulted on its proposals to implement this recommendation in its Fire Safety Consultation (carried out in 2020). The Government responded to the consultation in 2021 ( link ).
On 18 May 2022 the Government laid regulations under Article 24 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 to implement this recommendation. The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 came into force on 23 January 2023.
Under the Regulations, the responsible person for a high-rise residential building must undertake monthly checks of lifts for use by fire-fighters, evacuation lifts and other essential fire-fighting equipment. Where a fault is identified which will take longer than 24 hours to fix, the responsible person must report this via electronic means to their local fire and rescue service.
From: Progress against the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 recommendations, February 2024
Site note: This is the Home Office's thematic update on progress against the Phase 1 recommendations. Its introduction says it includes updates from the relevant government departments and assurances received from the National Fire Chiefs Council, London Fire Brigade and other emergency services on their progress. The status line and the passage are the Home Office's compilation of what those bodies reported to it; where the passage gives a status for fire and rescue services and a separate one for London Fire Brigade, both are shown as printed.
Site note: The source gives this passage once, for recommendations 33.13a and 33.13b together. The same words are recorded on P1-8 and P1-9.
Responsible bodies
Who has spoken
- UK Government
Response - Home Office
Delivery statement