Fire Safety Order 2005
Establishes the assessment, precautions, maintenance, cooperation, information, training and review duties.
Commercial owners, landlords, tenants and asset managers
Fire risk assessment for commercial property
Define the premises, responsible persons and shared systems before arranging a properly scoped commercial property fire risk assessment.
Key points
Commercial property fire risk assessment at a glance
- Commercial premises normally require an FRA
- Responsibility follows employment and control
- Landlords and tenants may both hold duties
- One assessment may not cover every occupier
- London and Surrey commercial assessment enquiries
- The responsible person must arrange a suitable and sufficient assessment and record its findings in full.
- Review the relevant assessment and evidence when changes, an incident or new information could affect its validity.
Property-specific guidance
Why this premises type needs its own assessment
Commercial property is a broad category covering offices, retail, hospitality, industrial units, mixed-use buildings and vacant or changing premises. The assessment must be based on the actual use, occupants, construction and management rather than the investment or lease label applied to the asset.
A landlord assessment may cover common parts and landlord-controlled systems while each tenant employer assesses its workplace and activities. These assessments must connect. Gaps commonly arise around alarm systems, stairs, fire doors, plant, service penetrations and actions that require landlord approval.
Acquisition, a new lease, fit-out, refurbishment, change of use or new tenant can all affect the validity and scope of an existing assessment. A report prepared for the previous occupation should not be accepted without checking the current premises and responsibilities.
London incident context
1,727 recorded fires in non-residential premises
London Fire Brigade recorded this total across London in calendar year 2025. It is a broad incident category, not a count for this exact premises type and not a measure of whether an individual building is safe.
Legal responsibility
Who must arrange the assessment?
The employer is normally responsible for its workplace. Owners, landlords, occupiers, asset managers, managing agents and facilities managers may also be responsible where they control premises, common areas or fire-safety systems. Several responsible persons must cooperate and coordinate.
Read the main fire risk assessment guideCommercial landlord or asset manager? Follow the portfolio responsibility guide
Legal 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.
Building Safety Act 2022, section 156
Strengthened recording, cooperation, assessor-identification and handover requirements.
Building regulations
Fit-outs, material alterations and changes of use can require approval and suitable fire-safety information.
Lease and contractual arrangements
Can allocate tasks and costs but do not replace the statutory test of employment and control.
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.
Scope and control
Define buildings, floors, tenant demises, common parts, plant, external areas and every responsible person.
Occupation and use
Record tenants, activities, public access, maximum occupancy, operating hours and foreseeable changes.
Construction and separation
Consider compartments, shafts, voids, penetrations, fire doors, façades and mixed-use boundaries.
Shared systems
Review alarms, emergency lighting, smoke control, sprinklers, lifts, signs and firefighting facilities.
Escape and evacuation
Check routes, exits, capacities, assistance arrangements and whether tenant plans coordinate.
Management evidence
Examine maintenance, impairments, contractor controls, action ownership and information exchange.
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.
Unclear demise boundaries
Important stairs, doors, risers or systems can fall between landlord and tenant assessments.
Inherited reports
An older FRA may describe a previous tenant, layout, occupancy or management arrangement.
Commercial fit-outs
Partitions, ceilings, cabling and access control can alter escape, detection and fire separation.
Vacant areas
Security, reduced staffing, utilities, contractors and deterioration create a different risk profile.
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.
Employees and contractors
Work patterns, lone working, unfamiliar contractors and shift arrangements affect warning and escape.
Customers and visitors
Public occupants may be unfamiliar with routes and need staff assistance.
People needing assistance
Building and tenant plans must align where assistance depends on shared routes or systems.
Other occupiers and residents
Fire and smoke can cross tenant, commercial and residential boundaries.
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.
- Use the maximum credible occupancy and every occupied part of the property.
- Coordinate tenant procedures with the building alarm, common escape routes and assembly arrangements.
- Record who assists disabled people and who controls any shared evacuation equipment or refuges.
- Plan for system impairments, out-of-hours occupation and contractors working while other areas remain occupied.
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.
- Landlord, tenant and common-parts FRAs
- Leases, control schedules and responsible-person contacts
- Fire strategy, plans and Regulation 38 information
- Alarm, emergency-lighting, door and system records
- Tenant occupancy and emergency arrangements
- Fit-out approvals and fire-stopping evidence
- Action tracker showing landlord and tenant ownership
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.
- Acquisition, disposal, lease or management handover
- New tenant, vacancy or material change in occupation
- Fit-out, refurbishment or change of use
- Altered shared systems, routes, doors or compartmentation
- Fire, enforcement action, major defect or insurer concern
- New information showing the existing assessment may be invalid
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.
Property size and uses
Floor area, storeys, tenants, mixed uses and ancillary areas.
Control complexity
Number of responsible persons and shared areas or systems.
Construction and systems
Fire engineering, compartmentation, smoke control, façades and specialist systems.
Access and evidence
Occupied areas, security, plans, previous reports and deadlines.
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 commercial property 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.
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.
For county-wide duties, cost factors and local context, read the Surrey commercial property fire risk assessment guidance.
Frequently asked questions
Fire risk assessment for commercial property FAQs
Does every commercial property need a fire risk assessment?
Most occupied commercial and other non-domestic premises fall within the Fire Safety Order. The exact responsible persons and assessment boundaries depend on employment, occupation and control.
Is the landlord or tenant responsible?
Both can be responsible for different parts or systems. The tenant employer commonly controls its workplace and activities, while the landlord or manager may control common parts and building-wide systems. They must cooperate.
Can one FRA cover a multi-tenant building?
One coordinated report can sometimes address defined building-wide and tenant matters, but it must not leave workplaces or control boundaries unassessed. The scope and responsible persons should be explicit.
Do I need a new FRA after a commercial fit-out?
The assessment must be reviewed when changes may affect its validity. Altered partitions, occupancy, escape routes, alarms, doors or compartmentation can require revision or a new assessment.
How much does a commercial-property FRA cost?
A straightforward commercial assessment may commonly start around £220–£520. Larger, multi-tenant, mixed-use, high-rise, heavily altered or poorly documented properties can cost substantially more.
Property-specific enquiry
Request a quote for your commercial property
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 9 September 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.