Fire Risk Assessments, Types 1 to 4
The Four Types, and Which One Your Building Needs
The types come from the sector guidance for purpose-built blocks of flats. They describe how far the assessment goes, not how good it is. Most buildings need a Type 1. The others answer a specific concern, and we tell you which type your building needs, in writing, before anything is booked.
Type 1: common parts, non-destructive
The standard assessment. The shared entrance, corridors, stairs, plant and escape routes, with the flat entrance doors looked at from the common side. Nothing is opened up. This is what the law expects for most blocks and what conveyancers, lenders and insurers usually ask for.
Type 2: common parts, destructive
As Type 1, but with samples opened up to check construction: compartmentation behind finishes, fire stopping above ceilings, the condition of walls between flats and corridors. Used where there is a specific reason to doubt the construction, often after a Type 1 has flagged it.
Type 3: common parts and a sample of flats
Adds a non-destructive look inside a sample of flats: the means of escape within the flat, fire detection, and the flat's own entrance door from the inside. Chosen where the risk sits inside the flats, such as a converted house with older layouts, or a landlord who controls the flats as well as the block.
Type 4: flats included, destructive
The fullest scope. Common parts and a sample of flats, with destructive sampling in both. Rare, and usually driven by a known defect, a serious incident or an enforcement notice. We quote this per building after a conversation about why it is needed.
Our rule on type. We recommend the type the building needs, in writing, before you book. We do not sell a Type 3 where a Type 1 answers the question, and we will say so if someone has told you otherwise.
What the Law Asks of You
Fire safety law for buildings in England sits in four places. Each one adds a duty for the Responsible Person, and a fire risk assessment is where all of them start.
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
The main law. It applies to every non-domestic premises and to the common parts of blocks of flats, HMOs and student accommodation. The Responsible Person must carry out a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment, act on its findings, keep it under review and record it.
Fire Safety Act 2021
In force since 16 May 2022. It confirms that the Order covers the structure and external walls of a multi-occupied residential building, including cladding, balconies and windows, and the entrance doors to individual flats. An assessment that stops at the corridor is no longer enough.
Building Safety Act 2022, section 156
From 1 October 2023 every fire risk assessment must be recorded in full, whatever the size of the premises, together with the fire safety arrangements. The record must name the person who carried out the assessment and their organisation. Responsible Persons must also cooperate with each other and give residents information about fire safety in their building.
Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022
In force since 23 January 2023 for residential buildings with two or more sets of domestic premises. Every such building must give residents fire safety instructions and information about fire doors. Buildings over 11 metres must check communal fire doors every three months and flat entrance doors every year. Buildings over 18 metres or seven storeys must also give the fire and rescue service floor plans and external wall information, fit a secure information box and wayfinding signage, and check lifts and other firefighting equipment every month.
The Standards We Assess To
- BS 9792:2025 is the code of practice for fire risk assessment in housing. It replaced PAS 79-2:2020 on 1 August 2025 and is the method we use for blocks of flats, HMOs, sheltered housing and student accommodation.
- PAS 79-1:2020 remains the code of practice for non-domestic premises such as offices, shops, schools and warehouses.
- The four assessment types set out in the sector guidance for purpose-built blocks of flats, explained above.
- Assessor competence. All three of our assessors hold the NSA Level 6 Diploma in Fire Risk Assessment, the highest individual standard in the UK. Under section 156 their names go on your report, so you can show an enforcing authority who did the work and what qualified them to do it.
How an Assessment Runs
- Scope. A short call to confirm the building, its height and use, the date of the last assessment and the records you hold. We ask for the previous report, the fire alarm and emergency lighting certificates and any fire door inspection records.
- Site visit. The assessor walks every common area, plant room, roof space and escape route, checks the external wall and the flat entrance doors from the common side, and photographs what they find. On a Type 3 or Type 4 assessment a sample of flats is visited by arrangement with residents.
- Anything urgent, the same day. A blocked escape route, a failed fire door or a silent alarm panel is reported to you on the day of the visit, not in the report.
- Report within 48 hours. A written report in the BS 9792 or PAS 79-1 format with a prioritised action plan: what to fix, how urgent it is and why.
- Review. We recommend a review at least once a year, and sooner after building work, a change of use or occupancy, or a fire. Portfolio clients get a schedule so that no building lapses.
Buildings We Assess
Purpose-built blocks of flats, converted houses and HMOs, student accommodation, sheltered and supported housing, offices, retail units, schools and industrial premises across London, Essex, Hertfordshire and Cambridge. Where a building is being refurbished, changing use or registering with the Building Safety Regulator, we can prepare a fire strategy alongside the assessment so the two documents agree with each other.
What the Assessor Checks on the Day
✓ Means of escape: routes, travel distances, final exits, obstructions, escape lighting
✓ Fire doors and compartmentation: closers, seals, glazing, gaps, the walls and ceilings that are meant to hold a fire
✓ Detection and alarms: what exists, whether it suits the building, test and maintenance records
✓ Emergency lighting and signage
✓ Ignition sources and fuel: electrical installations, storage, bins, cycle stores, plant, the arrangements for contractors
✓ The people: who is in the building, when, and anyone who would need help to escape
✓ Management: the evacuation strategy, records, previous assessments and whether their actions were done
What You Receive, Within 48 Hours
✓ A full written report in the BS 9792 or PAS 79-1 format
✓ Photographs of every significant finding
✓ A risk rating for the premises
✓ A prioritised action plan: what, why, how urgent
✓ Practical guidance on what to fix first and who to use
✓ A dated certificate for your records, insurer or solicitor, and a review date with a reminder from us when it falls due
Our Fire Risk Assessors
Warwick Theophane
Fire Risk Assessor | NSA Level 6 Diploma in Fire Risk Assessment | IFSM registered
Warwick takes a commercially focused, outcome-led approach to fire risk assessment. He helps building owners understand their responsibilities clearly and put proportionate, effective safety measures in place.
Covers: Essex, Suffolk and London
Raphael Whitmore
Fire Risk Assessor | NSA Level 6 Diploma in Fire Risk Assessment | IFSM registered, Technician grade
Raph brings First Class Honours in Electronic Engineering and over 20 years across field service, facilities management and workplace training. He explains fire safety requirements in plain, practical terms, so compliance is straightforward rather than daunting.
Covers: North London, Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire
Lawrence Seaforth
Fire Risk Assessor | NSA Level 6 Diploma in Fire Risk Assessment | Managing Director
Lawrence leads SeeForth and brings over 25 years in production, project and facilities management. He assesses with the whole building in view, sets the standard for every SeeForth report, and keeps each assessment independent of any follow-on work.
Covers: London, Essex, Hertfordshire and Cambridge
Common questions
How often does a fire risk assessment need to be done?
The law says it must be kept under review. In practice: review it every year, and have it redone when the building, its use or its occupants change, after a fire or near miss, or when the previous assessor set a date. For most blocks and workplaces that means a new assessment every three to five years with annual reviews between. Read the guide.
Does a flat sale need a fire risk assessment?
Increasingly, yes. Many conveyancers and lenders ask for the current fire risk assessment of the block's common parts before exchange. If the building does not have one, the seller or the management company usually has to commission it. A Type 1 is what they are asking for in almost every case, and we price these from £475 with the report within 48 hours.
Can anyone carry out a fire risk assessment?
The law says a "competent person". For a small, simple workplace an owner can do it with the government's checklist. For anything with sleeping accommodation, shared escape routes or more than a few occupants, use a qualified assessor. Ours hold the NSA Level 6 Diploma in Fire Risk Assessment.
Can SeeForth help with the remedial works the report recommends?
Yes. The assessment itself is independent: the report is written before any works are discussed, so you get an accurate picture rather than a pitch. Where the action plan raises maintenance issues, we help you scope and prioritise them, and the works can be handled through SeeForth planned maintenance, with photographic evidence and documentation for your compliance records.
Which type do I need?
For almost every block of flats, a Type 1. Type 2 answers a specific doubt about the construction, Type 3 is for buildings where the risk sits inside the flats, and Type 4 is rare. Tell us about the building through the contact page and we will recommend the type in writing, with the price, before you book.