Small shop or office
A straightforward, low-risk single unit with simple escape and reliable records.
Free 2026 planning tool
Fire risk assessment cost calculator
Build an immediate indicative price range for premises in London or Surrey, understand what is influencing it and use the result to make a better-informed assessor enquiry.
Indicative cost estimator
Tell us about the premises
The estimator uses broad planning bands. Answer what you can; unknown details widen the range because the eventual provider will need to confirm the scope.
- Your result appears immediately
- No contact details are required
- The range is not a fixed quotation
Your indicative range
Excludes VAT where applicable, remedial work, specialist surveys and intrusive investigation. A provider must confirm the final scope and price.
Indicative 2026 bands
Typical fire risk assessment costs
These are planning bands synthesised from publicly advertised London, South East and UK pricing reviewed in July 2026. They are not tariffs or guaranteed quotations.
Small HMO or guest premises
Bedrooms, storeys, sleeping risk, licensing context and access affect scope.
Medium commercial premises
Several floors, occupancies, departments or more involved systems and reporting.
Small or medium block
Common parts, flat entrance doors, strategy, records and building height matter.
Mixed-use or complex building
Shared responsibilities, complex construction or specialist risks require scoping.
Intrusive or specialist work
Compartmentation, external-wall or fire-engineering work is not a standard FRA.
VAT, travel, unusual access, urgent delivery and specialist investigation may be additional. Always obtain a written scope for the actual premises.
What affects the price?
Price follows the work required—not just floor area
Two buildings of similar size can need very different inspection time, evidence review and assessor competence. These six areas usually have the greatest effect.
Property type and occupancy
An office used by familiar, mobile staff presents different questions from an HMO, hotel, care setting or public venue. Sleeping occupants, unfamiliar visitors and people needing assistance make warning, escape and management more consequential.
Size, storeys and layout
More floors, rooms, escape routes, stairways, outbuildings and separate occupancies increase inspection and reporting time. Floor area alone can hide complex layouts, basements, dead ends or remote areas.
Construction and fire strategy
Age does not automatically mean unsafe, but conversions, unusual materials, mixed construction, concealed voids and fire-engineered solutions can require more evidence and experience. A standard FRA is not automatically an intrusive survey.
People and evacuation
Sleeping risk, reduced mobility, young children, residents receiving care, lone workers and low staffing can affect detection, assistance, evacuation strategy and the competence needed to assess it.
Records and management
Plans, a fire strategy, previous assessments, maintenance evidence and knowledgeable staff help an assessor test arrangements efficiently. Missing or contradictory information can require clarification, wider sampling or further investigation.
Scope, assessor and delivery
The named assessor’s experience, site time, report depth, photographs, action planning, quality assurance, travel, access and turnaround all affect the fee. Specialist surveys and remedial work should be separately identified.
Understanding the spread
Why do quotes range from £99 to £900 for the “same” assessment?
They may not actually describe the same service. A large price gap can reflect the premises assumed, assessor time, competence, report detail, quality checks, travel and what happens after delivery.
About £99–£200
Can be legitimate for a genuinely small, straightforward local premises where the provider works efficiently. Check that the price still includes an appropriate site inspection, a named competent assessor, clear findings and a usable action plan.
Ask:How long is allowed on site, who attends, what areas are included and what will the report contain?
About £250–£500
Often allows for a site inspection, review of key records, evaluation of escape and precautions, photographs where useful, a written assessment and prioritised actions for a straightforward small premises.
Ask:Are clarification, VAT, travel and any report amendments included?
£500–£900+
May reflect sleeping or vulnerable occupants, several storeys, residential common parts, mixed use, complex systems, more extensive sampling, senior competence or greater reporting and quality-assurance time.
Ask:Which complexity is being allowed for, and are any specialist surveys still excluded?
Price is evidence of cost—not competence
A low price is not automatically inadequate and a high price is not automatically good. The reliable comparison is the written scope, named assessor, relevant experience, inspection method, report output, exclusions and quality process.
Check before accepting
What a cheap quote can leave out
A short price message may be based on assumptions that have never been stated. Before appointing anyone, ask for enough written detail to identify what you are buying.
- Relevant areas, outbuildings, tenanted spaces or residential access
- A physical site inspection of sufficient scope and duration
- Review of the fire strategy, plans and maintenance evidence supplied
- Clear evaluation of escape, warning, compartmentation and management
- Photographs or location references that make findings identifiable
- A prioritised action plan with understandable required outcomes
- Limitations, exclusions and matters requiring specialist investigation
- Post-report clarification, corrections and quality review
The cost of doing nothing
What happens if you do not have a fire risk assessment?
Where the Fire Safety Order applies, the responsible person must ensure a suitable and sufficient assessment is carried out, recorded and kept under review. The practical consequences of failing to do so extend beyond the price of a report.
Enforcement action
A fire and rescue authority can inspect the premises, request the assessment and issue an alterations, enforcement or prohibition notice where the relevant tests are met.
Restriction or closure
A prohibition notice can immediately prohibit or restrict use where the risk to people is so serious that access should be limited.
Prosecution and penalties
Failure to comply with fire-safety law can lead to prosecution. GOV.UK states that major penalties can include unlimited fines and up to two years in prison.
Commercial consequences
A missing or inadequate assessment may create problems with landlords, clients, licensing, transactions or insurers. Insurance consequences depend on the policy and facts, so they should not be described as automatic.
Unmanaged risk to people
The most important consequence is that hazards, vulnerable occupants and failing precautions may remain unidentified or uncorrected until an incident occurs.
Personal accountability
Appointing an assessor can provide competent help, but the responsible person retains the duty to make sure the assessment is suitable and sufficient and to act on it.
Local assessment enquiry
Find a fire risk assessor in London or Surrey
Send the essential premises details in this shorter form. They will be reviewed and may be shared with a relevant provider who can discuss competence, availability, scope and price with you.
- No obligation to book
- Telephone number is required so the scope can be clarified
- Submitting the form is not an appointment or fixed quotation
Find and compare fire risk assessors in London
Find and compare fire risk assessors in Surrey
How enquiries and provider referrals workScope and competence
Compare fire risk assessment quotations fairly
Put quotations side by side and make sure they cover the same building, areas and output. The lowest headline price is not a saving if essential inspection or reporting is excluded.
01Same address, property description and areas included
02Named assessor, relevant experience and insurance
03Site inspection and document-review scope
04Report, photographs, priorities and limitations
05VAT, travel, cancellation, turnaround and follow-up
06Current NFRAR and BAFE evidence where relevant
Cost and quotation FAQs
Questions before you appoint an assessor
How much does a fire risk assessment cost for a small business?
A straightforward small shop or office in London or Surrey may commonly fall around £250–£500 in 2026. Size, use, occupancy, complexity, access, records and reporting scope can all change the quotation.
Is the calculator result a quotation?
No. It is an indicative planning range based on the information selected. A provider must confirm the premises, scope, assumptions, exclusions, VAT and any travel or urgent-delivery charge before giving a quotation.
Does the price include remedial work?
Normally not. An FRA records findings and actions. Alarm servicing, door repairs, compartmentation investigations, installation and other remedial work are usually separately scoped and priced.
Can an assessor quote without visiting first?
A provider may prepare a quotation from reliable building information, but the professional assessment itself will normally require a site inspection. Large, unusual or complex premises may need a scoping conversation before a firm price can be given.
How should I choose a fire risk assessor?
Check experience with the exact premises type, the named individual’s competence, insurance and the proposed scope. NFRAR can provide evidence about an individually assessed assessor, while BAFE SP205 can provide third-party evidence about an organisation and its quality process.
How much does a fire risk assessment cost for an HMO?
A small, relatively straightforward HMO may commonly fall around £350–£750 in London or Surrey. Storeys, bedrooms, layout, licensing context, sleeping risk, access to rooms, fire doors, alarm arrangements and available records can move the price outside that range.
How much does a fire risk assessment cost for a block of flats?
A small or medium block may commonly fall around £600–£1,400, but height, number of flats, access, evacuation strategy, flat entrance doors, external walls, construction information and the type of residential FRA required can materially change the scope.
How long does a fire risk assessment take?
A small straightforward premises may take around one to two hours on site, followed by report writing. Larger, sleeping, multi-occupied or complex premises can require half a day, a full day or longer, plus document review and reporting.
Do landlords need a fire risk assessment?
The Fire Safety Order generally applies to relevant common parts and building elements in buildings containing domestic premises, and separate housing duties can apply to HMOs and rented accommodation. It does not generally apply inside an individual private domestic dwelling occupied only as a home.
How often should a fire risk assessment be reviewed?
There is no universal statutory annual expiry date. The assessment must be reviewed regularly and revised where there is reason to suspect it is no longer valid or after a significant change. The planned frequency should reflect the premises and risk.
Does a more expensive quote guarantee a better assessment?
No. A higher price may reflect more time, specialist competence or a broader scope, but price alone proves neither quality nor suitability. Compare the named assessor, premises experience, inspection scope, report output, exclusions and quality assurance.
Can a very low quote still be suitable?
Possibly, where the premises is genuinely simple, the provider is local and efficient, and the written scope remains suitable. Ask how the site will be inspected, who will carry it out, what the report includes and which areas or follow-up are excluded.
Sources and limitations
Guidance reviewed 24 July 2026
This calculator provides general consumer information for England and an indicative commercial planning range. It is not a quotation, legal advice or a building-specific fire risk assessment.