Fire Safety Order 2005
Requires a suitable and sufficient assessment, appropriate precautions, emergency arrangements, maintenance and regular review.
Owners, employers and small commercial occupiers
Fire risk assessment for small businesses
Understand when a small business needs a fire risk assessment, what a proportionate assessment should cover and when professional support is the safer choice.
Key points
Small business premises fire risk assessment at a glance
- The duty is not based on employee numbers
- All findings must now be recorded in full
- Simple premises still need building-specific conclusions
- Shared buildings require landlord and tenant coordination
- 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
A small business operating from commercial or other non-domestic premises normally falls within fire-safety legislation. Business size does not remove the duty: the assessment must identify fire hazards, people at risk and the precautions and management arrangements needed for the actual premises.
A straightforward ground-floor unit with few people and limited hazards can justify a proportionate assessment. Small does not automatically mean simple, however. Basements, sleeping accommodation, customers, cooking, hazardous processes, shared escape routes or unclear construction can materially increase the scope.
Government guidance says a competent owner or occupier may be able to assess some simple small premises. If the person is uncertain, the building falls outside the simple-premises guidance or the consequences of an error are significant, competent professional assistance should be obtained.
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 the responsible person for a workplace under its control. An owner, landlord, occupier, operator or managing agent may also be responsible for areas or systems they control. In a shared building, the responsible persons must identify one another and cooperate.
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.
Building Safety Act 2022, section 156
Introduced stronger recording, cooperation and information duties that took effect on 1 October 2023.
Health and safety duties
Work-process risks that could cause or worsen fire should be coordinated with the fire risk assessment.
Building regulations
New premises, extensions and material alterations can require separate building-control compliance and fire-safety information.
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.
Business activities
Record opening hours, staffing, customers, contractors, lone working and any processes that introduce ignition or fuel.
Building and occupation
Check floors, basements, shared areas, final exits, neighbouring uses and the maximum credible number of people present.
Prevention
Review electrics, heating, cooking, smoking, charging, housekeeping, waste and contractor controls.
Warning and escape
Confirm alarm arrangements, travel routes, exits, emergency lighting, signs and assistance for anyone who may need it.
Fire protection
Consider fire doors, separation, extinguishers and any systems needed for the actual risk.
Management and records
Check testing, maintenance, staff information, training, drills, defects and action-plan completion.
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.
Underestimating occupancy
A quiet inspection day may not represent customers, deliveries, events or the busiest staffing pattern.
Shared-building gaps
Tenant and landlord can each assume the other controls the alarm, stairs, doors or outstanding repairs.
Changing activities
New stock, equipment, charging or cooking can invalidate an assessment that still describes the previous business.
Generic paperwork
A downloaded form cannot confirm the condition, construction or management of the real premises.
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
Include full-time, part-time, temporary, lone and young workers across every shift.
Customers and visitors
People unfamiliar with the premises may not recognise routes, alarms or local procedures.
People needing assistance
Mobility, sensory, cognitive, language or health needs can affect warning and evacuation.
Contractors and neighbours
Work activities and shared construction can create risks across control 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.
- Base the plan on the busiest credible occupancy rather than the number present during the assessment.
- Make sure exits can be opened immediately without a key or complicated operation.
- Provide simple instructions and role cover that work when the usual manager is absent.
- Coordinate alarms, routes and assembly arrangements with the landlord and neighbouring occupiers where they are shared.
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 action plan
- Premises plan and maximum occupancy
- Alarm, emergency-lighting and extinguisher records
- Fire-door and escape-route checks
- Staff information, training and drill records
- Electrical, heating, cooking and contractor information
- Defect reports and evidence of completed actions
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.
- Moving into or taking over the premises
- New layout, stock, machinery, cooking or charging
- Change in staff, visitors or opening hours
- Alteration to alarms, exits, doors or shared systems
- Fire, near miss, repeated false alarm or enforcement concern
- Evidence that the current assessment no longer describes the business
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.
Size and layout
Floor area, storeys, basements, rooms and escape-route complexity.
Use and hazards
Customers, cooking, storage, machinery, charging and other business activities.
Shared responsibilities
Landlord systems, common parts and coordination with other occupiers.
Records and timing
Existing information, access, urgency and report requirements.
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 small business premises 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 small business premises fire risk assessment guidance.
Frequently asked questions
Fire risk assessment for small businesses FAQs
Does a small business need a fire risk assessment?
Yes, where it operates from premises within the Fire Safety Order, such as a workplace, commercial unit or premises open to the public. The duty is not removed because the business has few employees.
Can I do my own small-business fire risk assessment?
A competent owner or occupier may be able to assess a genuinely simple, low-risk premises using current government guidance. Obtain professional help if you are unsure, the premises is not simple or the consequences of an incorrect conclusion could be significant.
Do businesses with fewer than five employees have to record the assessment?
Yes. Since 1 October 2023, responsible persons must record the fire risk assessment in full and record their fire-safety arrangements regardless of employee numbers.
What should a small-business FRA include?
It should cover the premises and activities, fire hazards, everyone at risk, warning and escape, fire protection, management, significant findings and a prioritised action plan.
How much does a small-business FRA cost?
A straightforward small commercial premises may commonly start around £180–£420 in London or Surrey. Size, use, shared areas, basements, hazards, records, access and urgency can move the final quotation outside that range.
Property-specific enquiry
Request a quote for your small business premises
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.