Do I need a fire risk assessment?

Yes, if you are responsible for almost any building other than a private home lived in by one household. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires the person in control of non-domestic premises, including the shared parts of blocks of flats and houses in multiple occupation, to carry out a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment and keep it up to date. In England, the whole assessment must now be recorded in writing.

Who needs a fire risk assessment

The Fire Safety Order applies to almost every building, or part of a building, that isn't a private dwelling. The duty falls on the Responsible Person, usually the employer, the business that controls the premises, or the owner.

You need an assessment if you are responsible for any of these:

• Offices, shops, factories, warehouses and other workplaces
• Pubs, restaurants, cafés, hotels and guest houses
• Holiday lets, bed and breakfasts and other accommodation for paying guests
• Care homes, supported living and hostels
• Schools, nurseries, colleges and training centres
• Places of worship, village halls and community buildings
• The common parts of blocks of flats, such as corridors, stairs and plant rooms
• The common parts of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs)

A building does not have to have employees to be covered. A block of flats with no staff, or a community hall run by volunteers, still needs an assessment.

The Fire Safety Act 2021 made it clear that, in buildings with two or more sets of domestic premises, the Order covers the building's structure, its external walls (including windows and balconies) and the entrance doors to individual flats. An assessment of a block of flats should take those into account, not only the corridors and stairs. Lenders sometimes ask separately about the external wall; see what is an EWS1 form?

A private house lived in by one household is not covered by the Order. If you let a single house to one household, other housing rules apply instead, such as the smoke and carbon monoxide alarm requirements for private landlords.

What the assessment has to cover

A fire risk assessment is a structured look at how a fire could start in the building, who would be at risk, and whether the precautions in place are good enough. Most assessments follow five steps:

1. Identify the fire hazards. Sources of ignition, such as electrical equipment, cooking and heating, and things that would burn, such as stored goods, waste and furnishings.
2. Identify the people at risk. Staff, residents, visitors and contractors, with particular attention to anyone sleeping in the building, working alone, or who would need help to get out.
3. Evaluate and act. Remove or reduce the hazards, and check that the protection is adequate: fire detection and warning, escape routes and exits, emergency lighting, signs, firefighting equipment, and compartmentation that stops fire and smoke spreading.
4. Record, plan, inform and train. Write down the findings and the actions needed, prepare an emergency plan, and make sure the people in the building know what to do.
5. Review. Keep the assessment up to date as the building and the way it is used change.

What changed in October 2023

In England, changes made by section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022 came into force on 1 October 2023. Before then, only some Responsible Persons had to record their significant findings in writing, for example those with five or more employees. Now every Responsible Person must:

• Record the whole fire risk assessment in writing, whatever the size of the business
• Record the name of the person or organisation who carried it out, if they appointed someone
• Record their fire safety arrangements, meaning how fire safety is organised, managed and reviewed
• Share relevant fire safety information with residents, in buildings with two or more sets of domestic premises
• Cooperate and share information with any other Responsible Persons in the same building
• Pass relevant fire safety information on to whoever takes over as Responsible Person

If you are in Wales, check the current position with the Welsh Government or your local fire and rescue service, as some of these changes have followed a different timetable there.

How often to review it

The law does not set a fixed review period. It says the assessment must be reviewed regularly, and whenever there is reason to think it is no longer valid or there has been a significant change. Many insurers and managing agents expect a review at least once a year, and buildings with a higher risk, such as those where people sleep, are often reviewed more frequently.

Can you do it yourself?

The law allows the Responsible Person to carry out the assessment themselves, as long as they are competent to do it. For a small, simple building, that may be realistic.

For anything larger or more complex, use a competent fire risk assessor. That includes buildings where people sleep, blocks of flats, buildings with several floors or tenants, and premises with significant hazards. The Fire Risk Assessment Competency Council publishes a guide to choosing a competent assessor. In practice, look for an assessor on a recognised register, such as those run by the Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE), the Institute of Fire Safety Managers (IFSM) or FRACS, or a company certified to BAFE SP205.

Most professional assessors follow PAS 79-1:2020 for non-housing premises and PAS 79-2:2020 for housing. For blocks of flats, assessments are often described as Type 1 to Type 4, depending on whether they cover the common parts only or the flats as well, and whether any construction is opened up. A Type 1 assessment of the common parts, without opening anything up, is the usual starting point.

FireBid checks each firm's certification, or its assessors' registration, with the scheme before it can quote. You can read more about how we vet firms.

Scotland and Northern Ireland

The rules are similar but the legislation is different.

In Scotland, Part 3 of the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006 require the duty holder to carry out and review a fire risk assessment for relevant premises. The way the rules apply to residential buildings differs from England and Wales, so check with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service if you manage housing.

In Northern Ireland, the Fire and Rescue Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 and the Fire Safety Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010 place the duty on the appropriate person.

What happens if you don't have one

Fire and rescue authorities enforce the Fire Safety Order. They carry out inspections, often prompted by a complaint, a fire or an audit programme. Where they find problems, they can give advice, issue an enforcement notice requiring work by a set date, or issue a prohibition notice that restricts or stops the use of the building until the risk is dealt with.

Failing to carry out a suitable assessment is an offence. Breaches of the Order can lead to unlimited fines and, for the most serious offences, up to two years in prison.

There are practical consequences too. Insurers, lenders, managing agents and buyers often ask to see a current fire risk assessment, and a missing or out-of-date one can hold up a renewal, a letting or a sale.

Next steps

If you don't have an assessment, or yours is due for review, gather your floor plans, previous reports, and fire alarm and emergency lighting certificates first. They help an assessor price the job accurately.

• Find out how much a fire risk assessment costs
• Read about fire door inspections in blocks of flats
• Get quotes for a fire risk assessment