Fire Safety Order 2005
Requires assessment, precautions, maintenance, cooperation and full recording for relevant areas.
Freeholders, landlords, RMCs and managing agents
Fire risk assessment for communal areas
Define which common parts are covered, who controls them and how doors, escape routes and building construction support the evacuation strategy.
Key points
Communal areas fire risk assessment at a glance
- Common parts serving two or more homes can be in scope
- Flat entrance doors and external walls may also be relevant
- Converted and mixed-use buildings require careful boundaries
- The inside of a private flat is generally outside the Order
- London and Surrey 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
Communal areas can include entrance halls, corridors, stairs, landings, shared basements, meter cupboards, bin stores and external escape routes. The assessment must also consider relevant construction and doors that affect those common parts.
A common-parts assessment is not simply a housekeeping check. It should consider the building type, compartmentation, smoke control, fire doors, warning arrangements, residents, management and whether the intended evacuation strategy remains supportable.
Converted houses, flats above shops and mixed-use buildings need particularly clear boundaries. Residential and commercial responsible persons may control different systems or routes and must exchange information and coordinate action.
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 responsible person may be the freeholder, landlord, housing provider, resident management company, right-to-manage company or managing agent, depending on legal responsibility and control. More than one responsible person can hold duties.
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 application to structure, external walls and doors between domestic premises and common parts.
Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022
Add information and checking duties for multi-occupied residential buildings, with further duties according to height.
Housing and building-safety duties
May apply alongside the Order and should be coordinated rather than treated as substitutes.
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.
Common escape routes
Inspect halls, corridors, stairs, final exits, external routes, lighting, signs and security.
Fire doors
Consider communal doors and flat entrance doors, their closers, condition, gaps, seals, glazing and alterations.
Construction
Review compartmentation, shafts, risers, service penetrations, voids and relevant external-wall information.
Shared systems
Check alarms where present, smoke control, emergency lighting, firefighting equipment, lifts and fire-service facilities.
Housekeeping
Examine storage, waste, ignition sources, charging, mobility equipment and combustible items.
Management
Review resident information, inspections, repairs, contractor controls, access and action ownership.
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.
Obstructed routes
Storage, waste, mobility equipment or security arrangements can hinder escape and firefighting.
Defective fire doors
Missing closers, damage and unsupported alterations can allow smoke and fire into the common route.
Hidden breaches
Services and historic alterations can compromise walls, floors, ceilings and risers.
Split control
A defect may remain unresolved when landlord, agent, commercial tenant and resident responsibilities are unclear.
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
Sleeping occupants rely on suitable construction, doors and clear instructions.
People needing assistance
Mobility, sensory or cognitive needs can affect information and emergency planning.
Visitors and contractors
Unfamiliar people may not know the route or evacuation strategy.
Commercial occupiers
Mixed-use premises can share structure, alarms or escape routes with residents.
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.
- Confirm whether the building follows stay put, simultaneous evacuation or another strategy.
- Do not change an established strategy without competent consideration of construction, systems and management.
- Give residents concise information that matches the real building arrangements.
- Coordinate any shared alarm, route or assembly arrangement with adjoining occupiers.
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 common-parts FRA and action plan
- Plans and building or conversion information
- Fire-door and common-area inspection records
- Alarm, lighting, smoke-control and maintenance records
- Resident instructions and evidence of issue
- Defect reports, contractor work and action closure
- Responsible-person cooperation records
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.
- Refurbishment, conversion or change to common parts
- New services, penetrations, doors or access control
- Change in occupancy, building use or evacuation strategy
- Fire, smoke incident, complaint or significant defect
- New construction, external-wall or door information
- Evidence that the assessment no longer reflects the building
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.
Building extent
Entrances, floors, cores, flats, common rooms and external areas.
Construction
Purpose-built or converted form, compartmentation, façades, voids and mixed use.
Inspection scope
Door numbers, systems, roof or basement access and any justified sampling.
Records and access
Plans, previous reports, occupied areas, keys and resident coordination.
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 communal areas 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.
For county-wide duties, cost factors and local context, read the Surrey communal areas fire risk assessment guidance.
Frequently asked questions
Fire risk assessment for communal areas FAQs
Do communal areas need a fire risk assessment?
Relevant common parts serving flats or other premises can fall within the Fire Safety Order and require a suitable and sufficient assessment by the responsible person.
Does the assessment include inside each flat?
The inside of an individual private dwelling is generally outside the Fire Safety Order, but its entrance door, the building structure and external walls can be within scope.
Can corridors be kept completely sterile?
The appropriate management policy depends on the building and assessment. Items that create ignition, fuel or obstruction risks must be controlled, and some buildings justify a strict sterile-area policy.
Who pays for a communal-area FRA?
That depends on ownership, leases and management arrangements. Contractual cost allocation does not change who holds statutory duties for areas under their control.
How much does a communal-area FRA cost?
A small straightforward building may commonly start around £220–£480 in London or Surrey. Additional cores, floors, doors, mixed use, complex construction or poor records increase the scope.
Property-specific enquiry
Request a quote for your communal areas
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.