Fire Safety Order 2005
Requires a suitable and sufficient assessment, full recording, appropriate precautions, maintenance and cooperation between responsible persons.
Freeholders, managing agents and resident-led companies
Fire risk assessment for blocks of flats
Understand the assessment scope, height-based duties, evacuation strategy and records required for a block of flats, then request a tailored quote.
Key points
Block of flats fire risk assessment at a glance
- Common parts, structure and external walls
- Flat entrance doors and compartmentation
- Height-based residential duties
- London and Surrey assessment enquiries
- The responsible person must arrange a suitable and sufficient assessment and record its findings in full.
- Review the assessment when changes, an incident or new information could affect its validity.
Property-specific guidance
Why this premises type needs its own assessment
Fire safety in a block of flats depends on the building’s construction, compartmentation, common escape routes, flat entrance doors, external walls, smoke control and management. A generic residential checklist cannot confirm whether those features support the intended evacuation strategy.
The assessment should reflect whether the building is purpose-built or converted, its height and storeys, layout, resident profile, alterations, ancillary uses and the evidence available. The inside of individual domestic flats is generally outside the Fire Safety Order, but the structure, external walls, common parts and doors between flats and common parts are within scope.
Legal responsibility
Who must arrange the assessment?
The responsible person may be the freeholder, housing provider, landlord, resident management company, right-to-manage company or managing agent, depending on control and legal obligations. There may be several responsible persons who must cooperate and coordinate.
Read the main fire risk assessment guideLegal framework
Fire-safety duties affecting this property
The Fire Safety Order is the core life-safety regime in England. Other laws and sector requirements can overlap, so the assessment and action plan should not be managed in isolation.
Fire Safety Act 2021
Clarifies that the Order covers structure, external walls and flat entrance doors in buildings containing two or more domestic premises.
Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022
Add duties for all multi-occupied residential buildings and further requirements at over 11 metres and for high-rise buildings.
Building Safety Act 2022
Creates a separate building-safety regime for higher-risk buildings; accountable and responsible persons need coordinated information and action.
Assessment scope
What the assessor should examine
The final scope should reflect the actual building and any limitations. A site visit and a prioritised written report are fundamental for a professional assessment.
Evacuation strategy
Confirm whether stay put, simultaneous, phased or another strategy is intended and whether the building can support it.
Compartmentation
Consider fire-resisting walls, floors, service penetrations, risers, roof voids and evidence of uncontrolled alterations.
Fire doors
Inspect common doors and flat entrance doors proportionately, including self-closing, condition, seals, gaps and modifications.
External walls
Record relevant wall construction, balconies and attachments and identify when specialist appraisal or further information is needed.
Common systems
Review alarm arrangements where present, smoke control, emergency lighting, signs, firefighting equipment, lifts and fire-service facilities.
Management
Check resident information, contractors, testing, defects, access, housekeeping, storage, mobility needs and action tracking.
Property-specific hazards
Risks that deserve particular attention
These examples are prompts, not a complete checklist. The assessment must identify all significant hazards and how they could affect people in and around the premises.
Compartmentation breaches
Unsealed services, refurbishment and legacy construction can let fire and smoke move beyond the flat of origin.
Defective entrance doors
Missing or failed closers, damage and unsupported alterations can expose the common escape route.
Combustible storage
Items in corridors, meter cupboards, bin areas and under stairs may start or spread fire and obstruct escape.
External wall and balcony risks
Materials, cavities, attachments and balcony storage can affect external fire spread and may need specialist appraisal.
People at risk
Who may need additional consideration?
The assessment must consider everyone lawfully on or near the premises, including people who may be unable to recognise danger, respond quickly or use the standard escape route without help.
Residents who need assistance
Mobility, sensory or cognitive needs can affect information, evacuation and emergency planning.
Sleeping occupants
Residents may be asleep and unaware of a fire elsewhere in the building.
Visitors and contractors
People unfamiliar with the layout or strategy need clear information and controlled work.
Firefighters
Plans, wayfinding, lifts, smoke control and reliable building information can materially affect operational response.
Emergency planning
Evacuation points to test
A written plan is only useful if it matches the building, occupants, available staff and fire precautions and can be carried out under foreseeable conditions.
- Do not assume every purpose-built block should stay put or every converted block should evacuate simultaneously.
- The strategy must be supported by the building’s construction, detection, warning, smoke control and management.
- Residents must receive clear instructions matching the actual strategy and know how to report fire-safety concerns.
- Any move away from the established strategy needs competent assessment, planning and coordination rather than an alarm change alone.
What to expect
The five-stage assessment process
- 1
Prepare
Confirm the areas in scope, responsible persons, occupancy, plans, previous reports and relevant fire-safety records.
- 2
Inspect
Walk the premises and examine hazards, people at risk, escape, fire protection and management arrangements.
- 3
Evaluate
Judge whether precautions are suitable for the actual use, occupants, construction and emergency strategy.
- 4
Record and prioritise
Document findings in full and provide a clear, risk-prioritised action plan with responsible owners.
- 5
Review
Keep the assessment current and revisit it when change, an incident or new information may affect its validity.
Evidence and management
Records to prepare and retain
Good records help an assessor understand the premises, allow defects to be tracked and demonstrate that significant findings have been acted on.
- Current FRA and prioritised action plan
- Fire-door and common-system inspection records
- Resident instructions and evidence of issue
- Plans and external-wall information where applicable
- Maintenance, fault and remedial-work records
- Cooperation records between responsible and accountable persons
Keeping it current
When to review the assessment
There is no single fixed review interval suitable for every premises. Set a proportionate programme and review sooner whenever there is reason to think the assessment may no longer be valid.
- Changes to external walls, balconies, doors or compartmentation
- Refurbishment, new services, change of use or new ancillary areas
- Fire, smoke incident, near miss or significant resident concern
- Change to evacuation strategy, alarm or smoke-control arrangements
- New information about construction or building-safety risk
- Evidence the assessment may no longer be valid
Quote planning
What affects assessment cost?
A useful quote reflects assessor time, competence, site access and reporting complexity. A low headline price is not meaningful without a clear scope.
Height and size
Storeys, cores, flats, common areas, basements and ancillary buildings.
Construction complexity
Conversions, external walls, smoke control, mixed uses and incomplete records.
Door and system scope
Extent of sampling or inspection and the common systems included.
Access and evidence
Flat access, resident coordination, plans, previous reports and certification.
Choosing an assessor
Check the person as well as the company
BAFE SP205 provides third-party certification for organisations delivering life-safety fire risk assessments. The National Fire Risk Assessors Register (NFRAR), administered by the Institute of Fire Safety Managers, records individually assessed fire risk assessors and their competency level.
Use both as complementary evidence: verify the organisation’s current BAFE SP205 status where applicable and the individual’s current NFRAR registration and assessed level. Also check direct experience with block of flats premises, insurance, report scope, site visit, exclusions and how follow-up questions are handled.
Related fire-safety services
Acting on the assessment
The FRA should define outcomes and priorities. Any design, installation, inspection or maintenance work must then be scoped and completed competently.
Fire doors and protected routes
Plan a competent fire door inspection
Sleeping risk, vulnerable occupants, repeated use and flat-access arrangements can make door condition and records especially important in this premises type.
Local coverage
Find and compare assessment support across London and Surrey
Explore local assessor information and quotation guidance, or use the form below to request a property-specific quote.
Frequently asked questions
Fire risk assessment for blocks of flats FAQs
Does a block of flats need a fire risk assessment?
Yes. The responsible person must ensure a suitable and sufficient assessment covers the areas and elements within the Fire Safety Order, including common parts, structure, external walls and flat entrance doors.
Does the assessment include inside every flat?
The Fire Safety Order generally does not apply inside individual domestic premises. However, flat entrance doors, structure and external walls are in scope, and access to flats may be needed for door checks or to understand relevant building features.
How often should a block-of-flats FRA be reviewed?
There is no universal legal annual interval. It must be reviewed regularly and when there is reason to suspect it is no longer valid, including after significant changes, incidents or new construction information. The review programme should reflect risk and building complexity.
Is an FRA the same as an FRAEW or EWS1?
No. The FRA considers fire risk across the premises. An FRAEW is a specialist appraisal of external-wall fire risk, commonly using PAS 9980. An EWS1 is a valuation-related form and is not a fire risk assessment or general safety certificate.
What fire-door checks apply above 11 metres?
Responsible persons must undertake quarterly checks of common-part fire doors and use best endeavours to check flat entrance doors at intervals not exceeding 12 months, while keeping the required records.
Property-specific enquiry
Request a quote for your block of flats
Provide the essential building and occupancy details. Your enquiry can be reviewed and passed to an assessor serving London or Surrey.
- No obligation to book
- Telephone number required
- Use the details box for unusual risks or deadlines
Sources and limitations
Guidance reviewed 21 July 2026
This page provides general information for England. It is not legal advice, a building-specific assessment or a guarantee of compliance. Fire Safety Services is independent and is not affiliated with BAFE, NFRAR, IFSM, the Government or fire and rescue services.
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