Routine review
Tests whether a stable assessment remains current and whether actions and management arrangements are effective.
Free review-trigger tool
Fire risk assessment review checker
Check whether change, an incident, new evidence or the condition of your existing assessment suggests it should be reviewed now.
Check your current position
Has anything affected the assessment’s validity?
Answer for the actual premises and current occupants. A single material trigger can justify review without waiting for a routine date.
How to interpret the result
Review is a reasoned process—not a new cover date
A meaningful review checks the premises description, people, hazards, precautions, evidence, action plan, emergency arrangements and previous limitations. Where something material has changed, the assessment should be revised to reflect it.
Triggered review
Responds promptly to significant change, an incident, defect or reason to doubt validity.
Revision
Updates the recorded assessment and related arrangements where the review identifies a material difference.
New assessment
May be appropriate where the existing document is missing, fundamentally inadequate or the premises has changed substantially.
Free structured record
Document the review decision
Use the Fire Safety Services review record to capture triggers, evidence examined, required revisions, interim precautions and approval. Downloading it does not require an email address.
Review checker FAQs
Dates, triggers and revision
Does a fire risk assessment expire after 12 months?
There is no universal statutory annual expiry date. The assessment must be reviewed regularly and revised when there is reason to suspect it is no longer valid or after a significant change.
Is reviewing an FRA the same as doing a new assessment?
Not always. A review tests whether the assessment remains current. Revision may be targeted or extensive depending on changes, evidence and the quality of the existing assessment.
What changes can trigger a review?
Examples include alterations, change of use, occupancy or staffing, new processes or dangerous substances, changed escape arrangements, system defects, a fire, near miss or new information about construction.
Should overdue actions trigger review?
They can. Material overdue actions, failed interim controls or new defects may affect the assumptions and conclusions in the assessment and should be considered without waiting for a planned date.
Sources and limitations
Guidance reviewed 24 July 2026
This tool provides general information for premises in England. It does not determine whether a specific assessment remains suitable and sufficient.