Do I Need a Fire Risk Assessment?

First, who is the Responsible Person?

If you own, manage or employ people in a building that is not a single private home, the law calls you the Responsible Person. That means the employer, the owner, the landlord, the occupier, or anyone else with control of the premises. For a block of flats it is whoever controls the common parts: the freeholder, the residents' management company or right-to-manage company, or the managing agent acting for them. You can appoint someone competent to carry out the assessment. The duty stays with you.

…to sell my flat?

In practice, usually yes. Conveyancers and lenders increasingly ask for the current fire risk assessment of the block's common parts before exchange. The duty to have one sits with whoever controls the common parts, so ask the management company or managing agent first. If none exists and the sale is waiting, the seller often commissions a Type 1 assessment of the common parts to keep the transaction moving. We do these from £475 with the report within 48 hours.

…to rent my flat?

For a single flat let to one household, the fire risk assessment of the building is the responsibility of whoever controls the common parts, not you as the flat's landlord. Your own duties are the gas and electrical checks, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, and furniture standards. If a letting agent or insurer is asking you for a fire risk assessment of the flat itself, ask them what they mean before paying for one; you may not need it.

…for an HMO?

Yes. A house in multiple occupation is not a single private home, so the Fire Safety Order applies to it, and a licensable HMO needs an assessment the council will accept as part of the licence. The council looks at the escape route, detection, fire doors and the kitchen in particular.

…for my business?

Yes. Every workplace needs one. For a very small, simple premises you can carry it out yourself with the government's five-step checklist. Most owners use an assessor when the premises has the public in it, sleeping accommodation above it, a landlord and an insurer both asking for the document, or an escape route that runs through parts they do not control.

…with less than five employees?

Yes, and since 1 October 2023 it must be recorded in full regardless of headcount. The old exemption from writing it down for fewer than five employees has gone (section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022).

…for a block of flats?

Yes, for the common parts, and since the Fire Safety Act 2021 that explicitly includes the structure, the external walls (including cladding and balconies) and the flat entrance doors. A Type 1 assessment is the standard; the other types answer specific concerns.

What happens if I do not have one?

The fire service can inspect, serve an enforcement or prohibition notice, and prosecute. Insurers can decline a claim where a condition was not met. Lenders and buyers can walk away. The assessment itself is the cheap part.