Tenant-controlled areas
Work activities, local layout, contents, staff, emergency arrangements and precautions within the occupied suite.
London employers, tenants, landlords and facilities managers
Office fire risk assessment London
Clear guidance, indicative costs and help finding a suitable fire risk assessor for single offices, shared workplaces and multi-tenanted office buildings across London.
Concise, sourced answer
Does an office need a fire risk assessment?
Yes. Where the Fire Safety Order applies, the responsible person for an office must ensure a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment is carried out and its findings are recorded. The assessment must reflect the people, work, layout and fire precautions in the actual office.
In a leased, serviced or multi-occupied office, more than one organisation may hold duties for areas or systems it controls. Employers, tenants, landlords and building managers should exchange relevant information and coordinate their precautions and emergency arrangements.
Original responsibility map
Who controls what in a shared office building?
Responsibility follows legal status and control, not the job title alone. Record the boundary before the assessor attends.
- 01Employer
Staff, work activities, training and emergency arrangements.
- 02Tenant or occupier
Demised floors, fit-out, contents and locally controlled precautions.
- 03Landlord or freeholder
Common parts, structure and building-wide systems it controls.
- 04Building manager
Maintenance, contractors, shared records and systems within its control.
- 05Shared duty
Exchange information, cooperate and coordinate where responsibilities meet.
This is a fictional, practical scenario—not a client case study or a building-specific compliance decision.
Key points
London office fire risk assessment at a glance
- London office FRA costs and quotations
- Single, shared, serviced and multi-tenant offices
- Fit-outs, hybrid occupancy and shared systems
- Tailored enquiries for employers and property managers
- 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.
Shared-office floor plan
Responsibility follows control across the office
An office assessment should define the tenant-controlled workspace, landlord-controlled common parts and building-wide systems that require cooperation between responsible persons.
Landlord-controlled areas
Common reception, stairs, corridors, plant and building features retained under the landlord or manager’s control.
Shared systems
Alarm, emergency lighting, smoke control, lifts, final exits and other systems that cross responsibility boundaries.
Cooperation and records
Each responsible person needs the relevant plans, test results, defects, changes and emergency information.
Scope note: Lease plans and job titles are useful evidence but do not settle every duty. Confirm who actually controls each area, system and decision, then coordinate the assessments and emergency plans.
Illustrative worked examples
See how common office instructions could be approached
These are fictional educational scenarios—not client case studies. They demonstrate a possible assessment journey without predicting the findings for your premises.
Property-specific guidance
Why this premises type needs its own assessment
An office fire risk assessment examines how fire could start, who may be affected and whether escape, warning, protection and management arrangements are suitable for the actual workplace. London offices can appear straightforward but commonly contain dense electrical loads, charging equipment, kitchens, combustible contents, server rooms, access controls and frequently changing layouts.
The assessment should cover every area under the responsible person’s control and reflect the maximum credible occupancy—not merely attendance on a quiet hybrid-working day. Where alarms, stairs, reception, plant, risers or final exits are shared, employers, tenants, landlords and building managers must exchange relevant information and coordinate their arrangements.
The appropriate scope depends on the office suite and the wider building. A small self-contained office may be relatively straightforward, while a serviced workspace, multi-floor headquarters, mixed-use building or recently fitted-out floor can require considerably more evidence and coordination.
Why London offices enquire
When an office fire risk assessment is needed
A request often follows a commercial event rather than a fixed expiry date. The assessor still needs to establish the appropriate scope and whether an existing assessment remains suitable.
Request an office FRA quoteNew office or lease
Confirm responsibilities, shared systems and escape arrangements before or soon after occupation.
Fit-out or refurbishment
Recheck travel distances, fire separation, alarm coverage, sprinklers, signs and the emergency plan.
Existing assessment review
Test whether the recorded premises, occupancy, actions and evidence still reflect current conditions.
Landlord or client request
Provide a scoped assessment without confusing a request for evidence with a guarantee of compliance.
Incident or concern
Respond to a fire, near miss, alarm problem, enforcement concern or significant evacuation issue.
Portfolio programme
Use a consistent brief and reporting structure while retaining premises-specific findings for every office.
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 responsible for workplace fire safety, while a landlord, building owner or managing agent may control common parts and building-wide systems. In a multi-occupied office, all responsible persons must cooperate, coordinate and share relevant risk information.
Read the main fire risk assessment guideRented and shared workplaces
Employer, tenant, landlord and managing-agent responsibilities
Job titles and lease wording do not settle every Fire Safety Order question. Responsibility follows the statutory rules and the degree of control. More than one organisation can be a responsible person for the same building.
| Potential dutyholder | Typical matters to establish |
|---|---|
| Employer | The workplace, employees, work activities, emergency arrangements, training and areas under the employer’s control. |
| Office tenant or occupier | The demised office, tenant fit-out, contents, local management and cooperation with other responsible persons. |
| Landlord or freeholder | Common parts and building features it controls, which may include stairs, structure, plant and building-wide precautions. |
| Facilities or building manager | Systems and areas placed under its control, including maintenance, contractor coordination and shared records. |
| Serviced-office operator | The operational boundaries, common spaces, shared systems and information needed by each client employer. |
Multi-tenanted and serviced offices
Record who controls the tenant suite, reception, stairs, final exits, fire alarm, emergency lighting, smoke control, lifts, plant and fire doors. Each responsible person should receive the information needed to coordinate its assessment and emergency plan.
Detailed office guidance
Follow the route that matches your office
These focused guides answer the responsibility, refurbishment and shared-building questions that often determine the correct assessment scope.
01
Commercial landlords and asset managers
Connect landlord and tenant duties, acquisitions, leasing, portfolio assurance and capital actions.
Read the office guide →02Facilities and building managers
Arrange a London office FRA, coordinate shared systems and manage evidence and actions day to day.
Read the office guide →03Surveyors, architects and contractors
Connect office transactions, fit-outs, handover evidence and significant changes to FRA review.
Read the office guide →04Office landlord and tenant responsibilities
Work out who controls the workplace, common parts and shared systems—and how the responsible persons should coordinate.
Read the office guide →05FRA after an office fit-out
Check what must be reviewed after partitions, systems, occupancy or escape arrangements change.
Read the office guide →06Multi-tenant office assessments
Connect tenant, landlord and common-parts assessments without leaving gaps between their scopes.
Read the office guide →07Office FRA checklist
Prepare the building information, records and practical checks an office assessment should address.
Read the office 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.
Fire Safety Order 2005
Sets the core assessment, precaution, maintenance, information, training and emergency-planning duties.
Health and safety law
Workplace processes and dangerous substances may create related duties that should be coordinated with the FRA.
Equality and evacuation duties
Arrangements must consider disabled people and others who may need assistance; reliance on fire-service rescue is not an evacuation plan.
Building regulations
Material alterations, fit-outs and changes of use may require approval and must not compromise the building fire strategy.
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.
Occupancy and escape
Check maximum credible numbers, travel distances, exit capacity, dead ends, stairs, final exits and any turnstiles or access controls.
Detection and warning
Confirm the alarm is appropriate, audible or otherwise perceivable and coordinated with landlord systems and adjoining occupiers.
Electrical and battery risks
Review fixed installations, portable equipment, charging points, server rooms, UPS systems and lithium-ion batteries.
Fire separation and fit-out
Consider fire doors, risers, penetrations, suspended ceilings, meeting pods and whether alterations preserve the building fire strategy.
Disabled evacuation
Assess personal or generic plans, refuges, communication, evacuation aids, assisted-escape routes and staff responsibilities.
Management and shared duties
Review drills, wardens, induction, contractors, lone workers, testing, records, landlord information and action 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.
IT, server and charging equipment
Dense electrical loads, damaged chargers, UPS equipment and lithium-ion batteries can ignite and produce difficult fires.
Kitchenettes and breakout spaces
Cooking, toasters, microwaves, coffee equipment and informal furniture introduce hazards away from supervised workstations.
Fit-out and layout changes
Partitions, acoustic booths, meeting pods and access controls can alter travel distances, alarm coverage, sprinklers and fire separation.
Combustible storage and waste
Paper archives, deliveries, confidential waste and packaging can accumulate in cupboards, plant areas or escape routes.
Shared building failures
An unclear landlord-and-tenant boundary can leave alarms, fire doors, stairs, smoke control or defects without an effective owner.
Hybrid and out-of-hours work
Low attendance can reduce trained cover while lone workers, cleaners and contractors remain in the building.
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 hybrid workers
Occupancy patterns and familiarity vary by day and time.
Visitors and contractors
People may not know alternative exits, alarms or access-control overrides.
Disabled people
Evacuation arrangements should be planned with individuals where possible and remain workable without the fire service.
Lone and out-of-hours workers
Alarm response, communications and available assistance may differ outside core hours.
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 exit capacity and procedures on the maximum credible occupancy, not the quietest hybrid-working day.
- Ensure access-control systems fail safely and final exits open immediately without keys or codes.
- Coordinate tenant drills and alarm arrangements with building management.
- Test arrangements for disabled people and cover absences of nominated assistants or wardens.
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.
Before and after attendance
How long does an office FRA take?
A small, straightforward office may need a relatively short inspection. A multi-floor headquarters, shared building, serviced workplace or heavily altered floor can take substantially longer and may require document review before attendance.
Ask the assessor to confirm the expected site time and report-delivery date separately. A rushed visit or instant certificate is not equivalent to a suitable, premises-specific assessment.
What happens during a fire risk assessment?Prepare for the visit
Information that makes the assessment more useful
- Existing FRA, reviews and action plan
- Floor plans, tenant demise and maximum occupancy
- Emergency plan, drills, training and warden cover
- Alarm, emergency-lighting and fire-door records
- PEEPs or generic evacuation arrangements
- Fit-out records, fire strategy and landlord contacts
The written output
What the report and action plan should contain
- Defined premises, responsible persons and scope
- People at risk and significant findings
- Evidence reviewed, assumptions and limitations
- Assessment of existing precautions
- Prioritised actions with clear outcomes
- Allocation between tenant, employer and landlord
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, previous reviews and action plan
- Maximum occupancy, floor plans and tenant demise information
- Alarm, emergency-lighting, extinguisher and fire-door records
- Emergency plan, drills, training and warden coverage
- PEEPs or suitable generic evacuation arrangements
- Fit-out approvals, fire strategy and landlord coordination records
- Records for sprinklers, smoke control, lifts or other shared systems where relevant
- Evidence that previous defects and recommendations were completed
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.
- Office fit-out, partitions, meeting pods or furniture changes
- Relocation to a new office or material change of use
- Significant change in occupancy, hybrid pattern or working hours
- New tenants or changes to shared areas and building systems
- New charging, IT, server, kitchen or storage risks
- Fire, near miss, alarm problem or meaningful drill finding
- Change of employer, landlord, managing agent or control arrangements
- 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.
Floor area and floors occupied
Size, floors, stairs, exits, separate suites and ancillary areas.
Occupancy and access
Maximum numbers, shared-building access, security arrangements and out-of-hours work.
Fit-out complexity
Partitions, pods, server rooms, kitchens, specialist systems and mixed uses.
Shared responsibilities and evidence
Time needed to reconcile tenant scope, landlord records, building strategy and common systems.
Reporting and timescale
Portfolio formats, urgent deadlines, action-plan detail and post-report clarification.
Location and attendance
Central London access, parking, security clearance and whether more than one visit is required.
Avoid weak instructions
Common office FRA failures
Problems often arise because the brief, evidence or allocation of responsibility is incomplete—not simply because an alarm or extinguisher is absent.
Quiet-day occupancy used
The assessment does not test exits, staffing and evacuation against the maximum credible attendance.
Shared duties left unclear
Tenant and landlord reports assume the other party controls alarms, stairs, doors or outstanding defects.
Fit-out evidence missing
Partitions, pods, ceilings or penetrations have changed without reliable fire-strategy and approval information.
Evacuation support is fragile
PEEPs, generic plans, wardens or evacuation aids depend on people who are not always present.
Actions remain open
Earlier recommendations have no accountable owner, target date or evidence of completion.
The report is too generic
Findings do not identify the actual location, risk, responsible party, priority or required outcome.
Compare scope before price
How to compare office FRA quotations
Ask every provider to price the same premises and reporting requirements. A lower figure may represent a narrower inspection, shorter attendance or less post-report support.
- Exact office suite, floors, common areas and ancillary rooms included
- Named assessor and relevant experience with comparable London offices
- Expected site-attendance time and records required before the visit
- Treatment of shared alarms, stairs, fire doors and landlord responsibilities
- Written report, photographs where useful and a prioritised action plan
- Limitations, specialist surveys and any areas that will not be inspected
- Report delivery date, factual corrections and post-report clarification
- VAT, travel, access, parking and urgent-delivery charges
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 London office 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.
London office coverage
Office fire risk assessment support across London
Use the area guide closest to the premises, or submit the office details below. Central access, security arrangements and shared-building information can materially affect the instruction.
Central London
Westminster, City of London, Camden, Islington and the main West End and City office districts.
View local assessment guidance →North London
Office suites and mixed-use workplaces across the northern London boroughs.
View local assessment guidance →South London
Commercial offices, business centres and managed workplaces south of the Thames.
View local assessment guidance →East London
City-fringe offices, converted workplaces, Docklands and growing business districts.
View local assessment guidance →West London
Corporate offices, business parks, serviced spaces and mixed-use commercial buildings.
View local assessment guidance →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 office fire risk assessment guidance.
Frequently asked questions
Office fire risk assessment London FAQs
Does every London office need a fire risk assessment?
Where the Fire Safety Order applies, the responsible person must ensure a suitable and sufficient assessment is completed and recorded. A small, simple office may be proportionate to assess, but it is not exempt merely because it has few employees or occupies one room.
Who is responsible in a rented office?
The employer normally controls its workplace, while the landlord or managing agent may control common parts and building-wide systems. Both can be responsible persons and must cooperate.
How much does an office fire risk assessment cost in London?
The price depends on floor area, floors occupied, maximum occupancy, layout, shared systems, fit-out complexity, access, records and reporting requirements. Use the calculator on this page for an indicative range, then request a scoped quotation that states inclusions, exclusions and VAT.
How long does an office fire risk assessment take?
A small, straightforward office may require a relatively short site visit, while a multi-floor, multi-tenanted or complex office can take substantially longer and may require pre-visit document review. Report preparation follows the visit, so ask the assessor to confirm both attendance time and expected delivery date.
What should we prepare before the assessor attends?
Prepare the existing FRA and action plan, floor plans, maximum occupancy, emergency plan, drill and training records, alarm and emergency-lighting records, fire-door information, landlord contacts and details of fit-outs, incidents, defects or planned changes.
What should an office FRA report include?
A useful report should define the premises and scope, identify responsible persons and people at risk, record significant findings and limitations, evaluate precautions and provide a prioritised action plan. It should be clear which actions belong to the employer, tenant, landlord or managing agent.
Do hybrid offices need fewer fire precautions?
Not automatically. The assessment should use the maximum credible occupancy and consider fluctuating attendance, visitors, lone work and days when trained wardens or assistants are absent.
How often should an office FRA be reviewed?
There is no universal legal annual interval. Review it regularly and whenever layout, occupancy, work, equipment, responsible persons or evidence changes, or after an incident or meaningful drill finding.
Does an office fit-out require a new assessment?
A fit-out or layout change should trigger review. If it materially affects travel distances, exits, compartmentation, detection, sprinklers, occupancy or the emergency plan, the assessment should be revised and a new premises-specific assessment may be appropriate.
Who is responsible in a serviced or multi-tenanted office?
The employer or occupier may control its workspace, while the serviced-office operator, landlord or managing agent may control common parts and shared systems. The precise responsibilities depend on control, but relevant responsible persons must cooperate, coordinate and share risk information.
How should we compare office FRA quotations?
Compare the defined premises, named assessor, site attendance, document review, shared areas, report and action-plan detail, exclusions, delivery time, follow-up support, insurance, VAT and any travel or urgent-delivery charges—not the headline figure alone.
Does an office need fire marshals?
The responsible person must appoint enough competent people to assist with preventive and protective measures where necessary. The appropriate number and role depend on the premises, occupancy, shifts and emergency plan.
London office assessment enquiry
Request an office fire risk assessment quote
Send the essential contact and premises details. We can ask about the office, occupancy, access and assessment scope when we call.
- No obligation to book
- Telephone number required
- Detailed office information can be discussed by telephone
Sources and limitations
Guidance reviewed 8 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.