False fire alarms in medium and high-rise apartment buildings rose by 10% last year, prompting warnings to Build to Rent operators over the risks of complacency and poor system maintenance.
Data collected by fire and rescue services across England show there were 22,195 false alarms in apartment blocks of four storeys or more in the year to March 2025, up from 20,215 the year before.
The figure equates to an average of 61 incidents every day.
The research, compiled by Drax Technology, a provider of fire and critical alarm software, found that most false alarms were triggered by cooking fumes, steam, dust, aerosol sprays or smoking. However, 6,631 incidents were caused by faulty, damaged or poorly maintained alarms – a 17% increase on the previous year.
REDUCE DISRUPTION
Drax said the findings highlighted the importance of Build to Rent operators installing properly maintained systems with remote management capabilities. Such systems allow staff to verify and reset alarms instantly, avoiding unnecessary emergency callouts and reducing disruption for residents.
David Simpson, Group Product Director at Drax Technology, says: “False alarms don’t just waste emergency service time, they erode trust and create complacency as residents become desensitised to repeated alerts.
“In high-rise Build to Rent communities, remote alarm management is now essential. It verifies alarms in real time, minimises disruption, and ensures safety and compliance are never compromised.”
BUILDING TRUST
And he adds: “Smarter fire safety isn’t only about reducing callouts, it builds trust, reassures residents, and demonstrates responsible management. As the Build to Rent sector matures, premium rents will demand premium standards, and safety must be at the top of that list.”
Nationally, fire and rescue services attended 250,226 false alarms across all property types in the year to March 2025. Incidents in medium and high-rise apartments accounted for almost one in ten of those cases.
On more than 2,000 occasions, between seven and nine emergency vehicles were dispatched in response to false alarms at multi-storey apartment buildings.
Although there is no standard national charging policy, some fire services levy cost-recovery fees of up to £417 per incident in certain circumstances. Industry estimates put the annual cost of false alarms at about £1 billion.
