Furniture & Furnishings Fire Safety Regulations for Landlords | Coopers

The regulations principally concern domestic upholstered furniture and furnishings.

Depending on the particular product and circumstances, items within scope can include upholstered furniture such as:

The exact scope is more detailed than a simple list, so landlords shouldn't assume that every soft furnishing is either automatically included or excluded.

For example, GOV.UK guidance confirms that changes introduced in October 2025 removed certain baby and children's products from the Furniture and Furnishings Regulations, including qualifying children's mattresses below specified dimensions.

Not every textile or furnishing within a rental property is covered by these particular regulations.

Items such as carpets and curtains are generally outside the scope of the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations, although other fire-safety requirements may still be relevant to the property.

That's an important distinction: being outside these furniture regulations doesn't necessarily mean an item or property has no other applicable safety requirements.

Labels can provide useful information when establishing whether upholstered furniture was manufactured to comply with the applicable requirements.

However, there was an important change in October 2025.

The 2025 amendments removed the regulatory requirement for manufacturers to attach the separate display label, sometimes called a swing label, to new products.

The requirement relating to the permanent label remains for furniture within scope. Second-hand furniture supplied within the scope of the regulations also continues to require the relevant permanent label.

The current government guidance confirms that the requirements concerning permanent labels continue to apply to second-hand supply of furniture within scope.

Landlords furnishing a rental property with older or second-hand upholstered items should therefore avoid assuming that an item is suitable simply because it appears to be in good physical condition.

Where there is uncertainty about whether an item complies with applicable safety requirements, appropriate professional or Trading Standards guidance should be sought.

Special provisions apply to certain furniture manufactured before 1950. If a landlord intends to supply antique or particularly old upholstered furniture as part of a tenancy, the specific regulations and current official guidance should be checked rather than relying on the rules applying to modern furniture.

Compliance when furniture was originally supplied doesn't mean landlords should ignore its condition throughout a tenancy.

Upholstered furniture can become damaged through everyday use. Torn coverings, exposed fillings, broken components or significant deterioration should be taken seriously and assessed appropriately.

More broadly, landlords have responsibilities to keep rented properties safe and free from health hazards and to ensure furniture and furnishings they supply are fire safe.

Tenants should therefore be encouraged to report damaged furniture, while landlords and property managers should respond appropriately when concerns arise.

A clear Inventory and Schedule of Condition can document the furniture supplied with a rental property and its visible condition at the beginning of the tenancy.

Photographic evidence can also create a useful visual record of individual items and their condition at the time the report was prepared.

During longer tenancies, a Mid-Term Property Inspection can provide a further record of visible condition, while the Check-Out Report can document the position when the tenancy ends.

These reports don't determine whether furniture meets specialist regulatory standards, but they can form a useful part of the property's wider documentation.

Coopers Inventory Services provides independent property reporting throughout the tenancy, helping landlords, letting agents and property managers maintain a clear record of the furniture, contents and visible condition of a rental property.

An Inventory & Schedule of Condition can document furnished items at the beginning of a tenancy, supported by written observations and photographic evidence. Mid-Term and Check-Out reporting can then help document visible changes or deterioration over time.

Coopers' reports do not certify that furniture complies with fire-safety legislation and do not replace specialist safety assessments or a landlord's legal responsibilities. Where the safety or compliance of an item is uncertain, appropriate professional advice should be obtained.

Before the tenancy begins, consider: