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Fire Risk Assessment

Four questions every responsible person has to answer, and the quotes to act on them.

Almost every business, block of flats, HMO, school and holiday let in the UK must have a fire risk assessment, kept up to date. Answer three questions to see the law that applies to you, the kind of assessment you need and what it usually costs. Then get written fees from a competent assessor who covers your area.

Free, with no obligation. We match you with an assessor, and nobody contacts you until you say yes.

Duty finder

The law
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
Who must act
The responsible person: the employer, and anyone else with control
What you need
A fire risk assessment of the whole premises you control.
Typical fee
£350 to £650

More on commercial premises

Fees exclude VAT. A guide, not a quote, and not legal advice.Typical UK fees from a council fire safety team’s 2026 fee list and published price guides we reviewed, November 2026

Question one

Do I need a fire risk assessment?

If you control any part of a building that is not a private home, almost certainly. The law puts the duty on whoever has control: the employer, the owner, the landlord, the managing agent or the occupier, and often several of them at once.

  • Every workplace, whatever the number of staff, and every premises the public use.
  • The common parts of blocks of flats and HMOs, including converted houses with a shared stair.
  • Hotels, B&Bs, hostels and self-catering holiday lets with paying guests.
  • Schools, nurseries, care homes, places of worship, village halls and clubs.
  • Not a private home with no shared parts, or a house let to a single household.
Fines are unlimited

Fire and rescue services can issue enforcement and prohibition notices. On conviction on indictment the penalty is an unlimited fine, up to two years in prison, or both (article 32 of the Order). Since October 2023, failing to hand over your assessment when an inspector asks can also bring an unlimited fine.

Question two

Which law applies to me?

Each nation has its own. The duties are similar; the names, the enforcer and the recent changes differ.

NationLawWho has the dutyWhat is new
EnglandRegulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005Responsible personSince 1 October 2023 (section 156): record every finding and who did the assessment; assessors must be competent. Flats also come under the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022.
WalesRegulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005Responsible personThe Welsh Government brought in the section 156 changes too, with the competence requirement left for later commencement.
ScotlandFire (Scotland) Act 2005, Part 3; Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006Duty holderCovers workplaces, premises the public use and HMOs. See Scotland.
Northern IrelandFire and Rescue Services (NI) Order 2006; Fire Safety Regulations (NI) 2010Appropriate personEnforced by the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service.

Question three

What does a fire risk assessment cost?

Floor area sets the starting point; sleeping risk, storeys, processes and travel move it. Our bands come from published price guides, and the right-hand column is a council fire safety team’s fee list from April 2026, which is a useful public benchmark.

Floor areaFor exampleTypical feeCouncil fee
Up to 100 m²Small shop, café, salon, small office£200 to £450£415
100 to 500 m²Restaurant, pub, surgery, office floor£350 to £650£510
500 to 1,000 m²Primary school, small hotel, workshop£500 to £950£709
1,000 to 2,500 m²Secondary school, warehouse, care home£800 to £1,500From £830
Over 2,500 m²Factory, large office, multi-building site£1,300 to £3,000Quoted
Flats or HMO, Type 1Common parts, three storeys or more£350 to £1,000£515
Excluding VAT. The council list is one public fire safety team’s fees, not a national rate.

Work out your fee

Question four

What kind of premises is it?

The law is the same; the assessment is not. Each page sets out what an assessor looks at, typical fees and what to ask.

  • Commercial premises

    Offices, shops, restaurants, pubs, factories and warehouses, priced by floor area.

  • Blocks of flats

    Common parts, Types 1 to 4, and the duties added in 2021 and 2022.

  • HMOs and shared houses

    What licensing teams expect, and the escape route that matters most.

  • Fire door inspections

    Quarterly and yearly checks over 11 metres, and cost per door.

  • Scotland

    The duty holder, SFRS audits and how Scottish law differs.

  • London and other cities

    London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Bristol: who enforces and what local assessors see.

Tell us the premises and the postcode, and get written fees from a competent fire risk assessor.

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Then

Who should carry it out?

Someone competent: with "sufficient training and experience or knowledge", in the words the law has used in England since 1 October 2023. You remain responsible for the result, so check before you book.

Third-party certification
BAFE SP205 certifies firms, checks each assessor at least every 36 months, and requires a validator to sign off every assessment. IFCC 0099 and FRACS are other schemes.
Professional registers
The Institution of Fire Engineers, the Institute of Fire Safety Managers and the Institute of Fire Prevention Officers keep registers of assessors.
Relevant experience
A care home, a high-rise block and a warehouse need different eyes. Ask what they have assessed recently.
A clear scope and method
PAS 79-1:2020 for most non-housing premises; BS 9792:2025 for housing, which replaced PAS 79-2 in August 2025.

How to choose a fire risk assessor

And after

What happens once you have it?

  1. Read the action plan

    Each finding has a priority and a target date. Start with anything marked high or immediate.

  2. Fix and record

    Keep evidence that each action is done: invoices, photos, test certificates.

  3. Tell people

    Staff need the findings and training. In England, residents of multi-occupied buildings must be given the relevant fire safety matters.

  4. Review it

    On the date the assessor set, and sooner if anything significant changes.

Questions responsible persons ask

What is a fire risk assessment?

A careful look at your premises and the people in them to find what could start a fire, who would be at risk, and whether they could get out safely. It ends in a written record of findings and a plan of action, and must be kept under review.

Is a fire risk assessment a legal requirement?

Yes, for almost every non-domestic premises in the UK and for the common parts of flats and HMOs. In England and Wales it comes from the Fire Safety Order; Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own laws with the same effect.

How much does a fire risk assessment cost?

Typical UK fees run from about £200 for a small shop or office to £1,300 or more for large premises, before VAT. One council fire safety team charges £415 for premises up to 100 m² and £709 up to 1,000 m². Try the fee calculator.

How often does it need reviewing?

The law says regularly, and whenever there is reason to think it is no longer valid: building work, a change of use, more people, new processes or a fire. Many organisations review annually. See our briefing on review dates.

Who can carry out a fire risk assessment?

The responsible person, or someone they appoint. In England anyone appointed must be competent. Third-party schemes such as BAFE SP205 and registers such as the Institution of Fire Engineers’ are the usual way to check. See choosing an assessor.

Can I use a template?

For a small, simple premises you may do it yourself, and GOV.UK guides help. A template is only a format: the work is in looking at the building properly. For anything with sleeping, several floors or shared escape routes, most people use a competent assessor.

Ask for fire risk assessment quotes

Three short steps: where the premises are, what they are like, and how to reach you. About two minutes.

Step 1 of 3
Where are the premises?
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