In more than 30 years working in fire safety, I have heard the same questions many times: “Why do we need an assessment?”, “Nobody has asked to see it”, and “What if we cannot afford the work?”
They are worth answering clearly. A fire risk assessment should give you a practical understanding of your premises and the people who use them. It should help you decide what needs attention and what to do next.
Why do we need one?
For premises covered by the Fire Safety Order in England and Wales, the responsible person must ensure a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment is carried out, recorded and kept up to date. The assessment helps identify hazards, people at risk and the precautions needed. Requirements depend on the premises and your responsibilities.
That is the legal starting point. The practical purpose is to reduce risk to people—not simply to produce a document for a drawer.
“Nobody has ever asked to see it.”
A lack of inspection is not evidence that a building is safe. Layouts change, doors become damaged, escape routes collect storage and maintenance gets missed. A useful assessment examines the actual premises and highlights weaknesses before an incident exposes them.
What are you paying for?
The site visit is only part of the work. The fee also reflects preparation, relevant competence and experience, reviewing available records, producing the written report and explaining its findings. Travel, building complexity and the agreed inspection scope affect the quote.
Our HMO assessments start from £395, with no VAT added, for a straightforward property. We confirm the full fee before booking. Compare what is included as well as the headline price.
Does an assessment help if nothing changes?
A report cannot put a defect right by itself. Its findings need to be understood, assigned to someone and followed through. Keep a record of completed actions and any further checks needed. Where a recommendation is unclear, ask the assessor to explain it.
What if the remedial work looks expensive?
Ask for the findings and priorities to be explained before commissioning work. Some actions involve improving management, clearing an escape route or arranging overdue maintenance. Others require specialist inspection or physical repairs. Urgent risks must not be postponed simply because a quotation is outstanding.
Get quotations against a clear scope. There is no reliable universal price for replacing a fire door, installing a hold-open device or servicing a building’s equipment: specification, compatibility, access, installation and verification all matter.
Common issues to watch for
- Doors that fail to close properly, or are wedged open.
- Damage or alterations to fire-resisting doors and other protective construction.
- Storage obstructing escape routes.
- Missing maintenance records or overdue checks.
- Fire safety training and procedures that do not reflect the premises.
What is required depends on the building and the assessment. Fire-door repairs, closers and hold-open devices should be specified and installed by competent people for the particular doorset and system. Buying a product is not the same as establishing that an installation is suitable.
Training should reflect your emergency plan
Staff need to understand how to raise the alarm and follow the agreed evacuation arrangements. Any use of extinguishers must be consistent with their training and the premises’ procedures. Do not treat investigating an alarm or fighting a fire as a general duty for every fire warden.
Make the report the start of action
My advice is to ask questions, understand the priorities and keep a record of what has been addressed. A clear report, followed by proportionate action and ongoing management, is far more useful than a document nobody reads.
What do you need next?
Request an HMO assessment from £395
Adapted from Darren J Young MIFSM’s supplied article “Fire Risk Assessments – Why do we bother?”. The original publication date and URL have not been confirmed. Historic price examples and generalised installation advice have been updated.
Official guidance: GOV.UK fire risk assessments and evacuation planning.
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