Concise answer
Can a property or managing agent be responsible for arranging the FRA?
Yes. A property or managing agent can arrange a fire risk assessment for a landlord, freeholder, management company or other client. Depending on the management agreement and the control exercised in practice, the agent may also be a responsible person or dutyholder for the premises, common parts or fire-safety measures it controls.
The job title does not decide the legal position. The Fire Safety Order looks at employment, ownership and control. Commissioning an assessor does not transfer the client’s or agent’s duties to that assessor, and delegating day-to-day management does not necessarily remove the landlord’s or employer’s responsibilities.
Identify the client
Record the legal person instructing the work and who can approve cost, access and additional scope.
Map control
Check the lease, management agreement, service contracts and what each party actually controls.
Define the premises
State the buildings, common parts, workplaces, plant areas and shared systems within the instruction.
Coordinate dutyholders
Exchange relevant information where landlords, employers, tenants or contractors have overlapping duties.
Responsibility map
Start with the management agreement—but verify what happens in practice
A management agreement can allocate responsibility for repairs, maintenance, contractor appointments, inspections, resident communication and fire-safety records. It is important evidence, but legal duties can also arise from the control actually exercised over the premises or a fire-safety measure.
Create a simple responsibility schedule before requesting quotations. The assessor can then understand the intended boundaries and identify interfaces that need cooperation instead of assuming that every action belongs to the same organisation.
| Area or measure | Possible controlling party | Information to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| Communal corridors and stairs | Freeholder, management company or managing agent | Cleaning, storage, repairs, lighting, doors and final-exit control |
| Tenant or occupier areas | Employer, commercial tenant or other occupier | Activities, staff, local equipment, training and internal escape arrangements |
| Building-wide fire alarm | Landlord, manager or specialist contractor | Design responsibility, testing, faults, interfaces and tenant notification |
| Fire doors and compartmentation | Several parties according to location and contract | Inspection, repair, resident duties, penetrations and completion evidence |
| Emergency plan and evacuation | Multiple responsible persons | Alarm response, reception, assembly, vulnerable people and shared drills |
| Remedial actions | The party able to authorise and complete each item | Named owner, priority, due date, access, funding and closure evidence |
Different management settings
The assessment scope must fit the building being managed
Property managers may oversee residential common parts, offices, retail units, mixed-use buildings, vacant premises or estates containing several uses. One procurement process can be consistent, but the assessment method, competence and evidence must match each premises.
Blocks of flats
Common parts, flat entrance doors, external-wall information, evacuation strategy and resident communication may be relevant.
Commercial offices
Tenant activities, common routes, shared alarms, reception, fit-outs and landlord–tenant coordination need clear boundaries.
Mixed-use buildings
Residential and commercial risks, warning arrangements, compartmentation and escape interfaces must be considered together.
HMOs and rented property
Sleeping risk, licensing, protected routes, detection, access and management arrangements require property-specific evidence.
Retail and hospitality
Public occupancy, cooking, late hours, contractors, events and changing layouts may alter complexity and assessor requirements.
Vacant or changing premises
Security, utilities, combustible contents, temporary work and future occupation can trigger different control measures and reviews.
Single building or portfolio
Build a consistent programme without treating different buildings as identical
A portfolio approach can make procurement, document naming, access, reporting and action tracking consistent. It cannot replace premises-specific inspection and judgement. Each address should have its own scope, evidence, findings, limitations and action record.
Prioritise buildings using known risk and operational triggers rather than geography alone. A small pilot group can test the brief and report format, but urgent deadlines, sleeping risk, vulnerable occupants, enforcement concerns and significant changes should not wait for the wider programme.
- Create one property register with address, use, height, storeys, occupancy and management contact
- Record the landlord, freeholder, management company, employers and known responsible persons
- Add the existing FRA date, review status, open actions and relevant enforcement or licensing deadlines
- Flag sleeping accommodation, vulnerable occupants, mixed use, complex construction and engineered strategies
- Record fire-door, alarm, emergency-lighting, compartmentation and external-wall information separately
- Prioritise missing or doubtful assessments, material changes, incidents and overdue high-risk actions
- Agree consistent report naming, delivery, escalation, data handling and action ownership
- Track every building separately even where one provider assesses several sites
Comparable quotations
Give prospective assessors one clear management and premises brief
A property schedule alone may not show the scope. For the first or most urgent building, explain its use, size, occupancy, construction, shared systems, access and the reason for the assessment. Ask every provider to state assumptions and exclusions against the same information.
For a portfolio, request a pricing structure that preserves premises-specific scope. Confirm whether the proposal includes document review, travel, site attendance, photographs, action planning, quality assurance, factual corrections, follow-up and VAT.
- Address, postcode, building use, storeys, approximate size and occupancy
- Areas and systems controlled by the client, manager, tenants and contractors
- Existing FRA, action plan, fire strategy, plans and relevant handover information
- Known door, alarm, emergency-lighting, compartmentation or external-wall concerns
- Reason for the work, report deadline and any original request or authority correspondence
- Access arrangements for occupied, locked, plant, roof, basement and service areas
- Required report format, action priorities, limitations and portfolio naming convention
- Assessor competence, comparable premises experience, insurance and quality assurance
Inspection preparation
Coordinate access, records and the people who know the building
The assessor should not arrive with only a keysafe code and an address. Nominate a contact who understands the building, known defects, occupiers, contractors and recent changes. Tell tenants or residents what access is required and disclose material restrictions before the quotation is finalised.
In a multi-occupied building, relevant responsible persons must cooperate and coordinate. The manager can help by gathering shared-system information, current assessments and emergency arrangements while avoiding unnecessary personal information about residents or employees.
Site contact
Provide a person who can explain the building, unlock relevant areas and distinguish fact from assumption.
Occupier coordination
Give suitable notice and establish lawful access to areas required by the agreed scope.
Contractor records
Gather current test results, defects, impairments, service visits and outstanding quotations.
Known limitations
Identify inaccessible areas, missing drawings or uncertain construction before the visit where possible.
After the report
The valuable management work begins when the action plan arrives
A completed report does not close the risk. The manager should allocate every action to the organisation with authority and control, distinguish urgent interim measures from permanent work, and retain evidence that the required outcome was achieved.
Some findings require a separate competent inspection, design or service visit. Keep the assessor’s finding distinct from the contractor’s specification, quotation, completed work and verification. Review the FRA where remedial work, occupancy or other significant information changes its conclusions.
| Management record | What to capture | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Action register | Finding, location, risk priority, owner, deadline and current status | Prevents actions disappearing between reports, emails and contractors |
| Interim measures | Temporary controls, responsible person, checks and end condition | Makes urgent risk management visible while permanent work is arranged |
| Completion evidence | Certificates, photographs, reports, invoices and verification where appropriate | Shows what was actually completed rather than only ordered |
| Exceptions and access | Refusals, inaccessible areas, cancelled visits and escalation | Preserves limitations and supports proportionate follow-up |
| Review record | Change, incident, new information, decision and assessment update | Connects the live building to the current FRA |
Competence and appointment
Match the assessor to the most demanding premises in the instruction
A provider suitable for a small office may not be suitable for a complex residential block, engineered building or mixed-use portfolio. Check the named assessor’s competence and recent comparable experience, not only the company name or headline fee.
BAFE SP205 can provide evidence about an organisation’s life-safety FRA process, while NFRAR records individually assessed fire risk assessors and their displayed competency level. Neither removes the need to check assignment-specific suitability, current status, insurance, scope and limitations.
Named assessor
Ask who will inspect, write and validate the report and whether that will change between properties.
Comparable work
Match experience to occupancy, construction, height, evacuation strategy and expected complexity.
Quality assurance
Understand the organisation’s review process and how material factual or technical issues are handled.
Written scope
Confirm areas, sampling, evidence review, exclusions, deliverables, timescale and follow-up before appointment.