PAP or AP

You’ll hear lots of reference to Accountable Persons (AP) and Responsible Persons (RP) throughout the fire safety regulations and discussions. The abbreviations and people involved can make it difficult to follow.

Here’s a brief overview of the key roles relating to higher-risk buildings, you can read more about these on the HSE website 

Accountable Person (AP)

An AP can be an individual or an organisation that owns or has legal obligation to repair any common parts of a building, this could be:

• Freeholder or estate owner
• Landlord
• Management company
• Resident management company
• Right to manage company
• Commonhold association

There could be more than one AP for any building.

Principle Accountable Person (PAP)

As there could be more than one AP, each building needs one clearly identifiable, accountable person known as the PAP. This is usually an organisation but on occasion could be an individual if they are the sole owner of the building or named on the leasehold as responsible for the maintenance of common parts.

• If there is only one AP, then they are the PAP.
• If there are multiple Aps, then whoever owns or has a legal obligation to repair the structure and exterior of the building is the PAP.

APs and PAPs can be accountable for the fire and structural safety of more than one building.

Responsible Person (RP)

This is very similar to the AP and refers to the person with control over a building. In residential blocks, the person with control of the common parts and responsible for the maintenance of fire safety equipment and similar could be the AP (management company, freeholder etc.) This role can also be shared or given to a managing agent.