Martyn's Law responsible person
Who Is the Responsible Person Under Martyn's Law?
For hospitality premises, the Martyn's Law responsible person is generally the individual, organisation or company with control of the premises in connection with the use that brings it within scope. The premises licence holder is not automatically the responsible person.
Quick answer
Ask who actually occupies and controls the premises for the relevant hospitality use and who has the right and ability to make decisions about its management and use. In a leased pub, for example, the tenant can be the responsible person even where the brewery or pub company owns the premises and holds the premises licence.
What does “responsible person” mean under Martyn's Law?
For qualifying premises, current SIA guidance describes the responsible person as the individual, organisation or company with control of the premises for the purpose for which it is in scope.
Having control will commonly mean both occupying the premises and having the right and ability to make decisions about how it is managed and used, particularly decisions about who may or may not remain on site.
Who is the responsible person for a leased pub?
Current Home Office pub example
The current statutory guidance gives a specific hospitality example: a pub is owned by a brewery or pub company and leased to a tenant. The brewery or pub company holds the premises licence, but the tenant controls the premises for the relevant use.
In that situation, the tenant is the responsible person.
This is important because it shows that ownership and licensing do not automatically determine responsibility. The practical question is who has control of the premises in connection with the use that brings it within the Act.
Is the premises licence holder automatically the Martyn's Law responsible person?
No. A premises licence can be relevant evidence about how a hospitality business operates, but the licence holder is not automatically the responsible person under Martyn's Law.
A pub tenant, hotel operator, restaurant company or other occupier may be the responsible person where that person or organisation has control of the premises for the relevant qualifying use.
Martyn's Law responsible person examples in hospitality
Tenanted pub
The tenant may be the responsible person where they control the pub for its relevant use, even if a brewery or pub company owns the premises or holds the premises licence.
Managed pub
The operating company may be the responsible person where the company retains control of the premises and the manager acts on its behalf.
Independent restaurant
The restaurant company or individual operator may be the responsible person where they occupy and control the premises for the restaurant use.
Hotel
The hotel operating company may be responsible where it controls the premises for the accommodation use, even if the property itself is owned by another organisation.
Franchise
The answer depends on the real operating and control arrangements. The brand owner is not automatically the responsible person merely because its name appears on the premises.
Function or event operator
Responsibility can depend on who controls the premises in connection with the relevant use or event. The underlying contractual arrangements should be reviewed carefully.
What if more than one organisation is involved?
Hospitality premises often involve several organisations: a property owner, landlord, tenant, operator, brewery, management company, franchise business or event organiser.
The existence of several parties does not mean everyone is automatically the responsible person. The key question remains who has control of the premises in connection with the use that makes the premises subject to Martyn's Law.
Where the position is genuinely unclear, the responsible parties should review the current statutory guidance and obtain appropriate knowledgeable advice rather than assuming responsibility sits with someone else.
Can the responsible person outsource Martyn's Law duties?
The responsible person can obtain advice and can authorise other people to perform practical tasks, but the legal responsibility itself cannot simply be passed to a consultant, contractor or software provider.
This distinction matters when choosing compliance support. A supplier can help organise work, prepare records or provide knowledgeable advice, but should not claim to take the responsible person's liability away.
What should the responsible person do next?
- Check whether the premises may fall within scope.
- Record why the person or organisation has control.
- Understand the likely tier based on expected numbers.
- Review evacuation, invacuation, lockdown and communication procedures.
- Make sure relevant staff understand the procedures.
- Keep a clear record of reviews and changes.
- Monitor official guidance as commencement approaches.
Keep the responsible-person record with the venue
Hospli records the responsible person alongside the venue assessment, current procedures, staff briefings and review history so the record does not live in disconnected documents.
Check My Venue FreeMartyn's Law responsible person FAQs
Who is the responsible person under Martyn's Law?
For qualifying premises, the responsible person is generally the individual, organisation or company with control of the premises in connection with the use that brings it within scope.
Who is the responsible person for a leased pub?
Current statutory guidance gives the example of a pub owned by a brewery or pub company but leased to a tenant. If the tenant controls the premises for the relevant use, the tenant is the responsible person even where the brewery or pub company holds the premises licence.
Is the premises licence holder automatically the responsible person?
No. Holding the premises licence does not automatically decide who the responsible person is. The key issue is who controls the premises in connection with the relevant qualifying use.
Can a consultant become the responsible person instead?
No. A responsible person can seek knowledgeable advice and can authorise someone else to perform some tasks on their behalf, but legal responsibility for compliance remains with the responsible person.
Can software such as Hospli take over Martyn's Law responsibility?
No. Hospli helps responsible people organise procedures, staff briefings, evidence and reviews. It does not become the responsible person or transfer legal responsibility away from the venue operator.
Official sources and current guidance
This page was last reviewed on 4 September 2026. The Home Office corrected its pub responsible-person example in August 2026, so older summaries of the guidance may now be inaccurate.
- Home Office — Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025: statutory guidance
- Security Industry Authority — Understanding Martyn's Law and the SIA's role as regulator
Hospli supports readiness and record keeping. It does not determine the responsible person as a matter of law, provide government approval or transfer legal responsibility away from the person or organisation that holds it.