What Should a Fire Risk Assessment Include?
30 Jun 2026 | By Ron Fellowes MIFSM, GIFireE, CertNCRQ
A fire risk assessment that overlooks key risks can leave organisations exposed to significant compliance and safety issues. This guide explains what a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment should contain and how to identify whether an assessment provides the information needed to manage fire safety effectively.
A fire risk assessment is only as valuable as the information it contains. For housing associations, managing agents, and landlords, a suitable and sufficient assessment should provide a clear understanding of fire risks, existing fire precautions, and the actions needed to maintain compliance and protect residents.
In this article, we explain what a fire risk assessment should include, what assessors review during the inspection process, and what a good fire risk assessment report looks like.
Key Components of a Fire Risk Assessment
A suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment should provide a clear picture of the building, the fire risks present, the effectiveness of existing fire precautions, and the actions required to reduce risk.
At a minimum, a good report should include:
Building Information
The assessor should document key information about the premises, including:
- Building construction and layout
- Occupancy profile
- Building use
- Fire strategy
- Previous fire incidents or known fire safety concerns
Fire Hazards
The assessment should identify potential sources of:
- Ignition (electrical equipment, heating systems, hot works)
- Fuel (waste, combustible materials, storage arrangements)
- Oxygen (ventilation systems and other contributing factors)
People at Risk
The assessor should identify anyone who could be affected by a fire, including:
- Residents
- Visitors
- Contractors
- Building staff
- Vulnerable occupants who may require additional evacuation support
Fire Protection Measures
The assessment should review the suitability and condition of:
- Fire alarm and detection systems
- Emergency lighting
- Fire doors
- Compartmentation
- Smoke control systems
- Fire extinguishers and firefighting equipment
- Means of escape
- Signage and wayfinding
Fire Safety Management
The assessor should review:
- Maintenance records
- Fire alarm testing
- Emergency lighting testing
- Fire door inspection programmes
- Staff responsibilities
- Contractor management arrangements
- Resident communication processes
Evacuation Arrangements
The assessment should consider:
- The building’s evacuation strategy
- Escape routes
- Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs), where applicable
- Arrangements for vulnerable occupants
Findings and Action Plan
A suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment should clearly identify:
- Significant fire hazards
- Areas of non-compliance
- High-risk defects
- Interim control measures
- Recommended actions
- Priority ratings
- Completion timescales
What Should I Expect to See in a Competent FRA?
A suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment should cover a range of physical fire safety measures, management arrangements, and building-specific risks. The table below summarises the key components typically included within a comprehensive assessment.
| Component | What Should Be Assessed? |
| Building Information | Construction, layout, occupancy profile, building use, fire strategy, and known fire safety concerns |
| Fire Hazards | Sources of ignition, fuel, and oxygen that could contribute to a fire |
| People at Risk | Residents, visitors, contractors, staff, and vulnerable occupants |
| Fire Protection Measures | Fire alarms, emergency lighting, fire doors, compartmentation, smoke control systems, firefighting equipment, and means of escape |
| Fire Safety Management | Testing, maintenance, inspections, responsibilities, communication processes, and management arrangements |
| Evacuation Arrangements | Escape routes, evacuation strategy, PEEPs, and arrangements for vulnerable occupants |
| Findings and Action Plan | Defects, non-compliances, risk ratings, recommendations, priorities, and completion timescales |
Together, these components help build a complete picture of the building’s fire safety arrangements and the risks present.
Need a Fire Risk Assessment?
Osterna delivers professionally accredited Fire Risk Assessments for housing associations, managing agents, and large private landlords across the UK.
What Does a Good Fire Risk Assessment Report Look Like?
A fire risk assessment should provide clear, evidence-based findings that allow the Responsible Person to understand fire safety risks, prioritise remedial actions, and demonstrate compliance.
A good report should include:
- A clear description of the premises
- A summary of key fire risks
- Photographic evidence where appropriate
- A prioritised action plan
- Risk ratings and recommendations
- Review dates
- Information about the assessor’s competence
Vague recommendations, unclear risk ratings, or incomplete inspection findings can make it difficult to manage compliance effectively and may leave significant fire safety risks unresolved.
How Often Should a Fire Risk Assessment Be Conducted?
There is no fixed legal expiry date for a fire risk assessment. In England and Wales, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires the Responsible Person to ensure the assessment remains suitable, sufficient, and up to date.
Similarly, in Scotland, the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006 require duty holders to regularly review fire safety arrangements and ensure fire risk assessments remain current.
Recommended Review Frequency
Industry guidance, including BS 9792:2025, supports a risk-based approach to reviewing fire risk assessments based on the building’s height, complexity, occupancy profile, and fire safety risks.
- Low-rise buildings (up to 4 storeys or below 11m): Organisations review the fire risk assessment every 2 years and arrange a new assessment every 4 years.
- Mid-rise buildings (5–6 storeys or approximately 11–18m): Housing providers organise annual reviews and complete a new fire risk assessment every 3 years.
- High-rise buildings (7+ storeys or 18m+): Many organisations arrange annual reassessments, particularly where enhanced regulatory duties, complex fire safety systems, or significant remediation programmes are in place.
When Should a Fire Risk Assessment Be Reviewed?
The Responsible Person should review the fire risk assessment immediately whenever significant changes affect the building or its fire safety arrangements.
This may include:
- Refurbishment works or structural alterations
- Changes to occupancy or building use
- The introduction of vulnerable residents
- Installation of new fire safety systems
- Changes to evacuation procedures
- Following a fire or near-miss incident
Regular reviews help ensure the fire risk assessment continues to reflect the building’s actual risks, supports effective fire safety management, and provides a clear audit trail for regulators, residents, and other stakeholders.
What Happens if a Fire Risk Assessment Is Incomplete?
If a fire risk assessment does not accurately reflect the building’s fire safety risks, serious defects may remain unidentified.
For housing associations, managing agents, and landlords, this can result in:
- Compartmentation failures remaining undetected
- Fire-stopping defects being overlooked
- Delays to remediation programmes
- Increased regulatory scrutiny
- Greater compliance and liability exposure
- Difficulties demonstrating compliance during audits and inspections
Regulators increasingly expect organisations to understand the limitations of poor-quality or outdated assessments and commission further investigation where building risks justify more detailed inspection.
Need a Suitable and Sufficient Fire Risk Assessment?
A fire risk assessment should provide far more than a basic checklist of fire hazards. The assessment should support effective fire safety management, identify compliance risks, and help organisations prioritise remedial actions across residential portfolios.
If you are responsible for fire safety compliance across a residential portfolio and need a trusted, BAFE SP205-accredited provider, Osterna can help.
We work with housing associations, managing agents, and large private landlords across the UK, delivering Fire Risk Assessments, asset testing, fire door inspections, and building compliance services.
Get in touch with the Osterna team today.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. In England and Wales, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires Responsible Persons to carry out suitable and sufficient fire risk assessments within non-domestic premises and the communal areas of multi-occupied residential buildings.
In Scotland, fire safety duties are governed by the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006.
A fire risk assessment should identify fire hazards, assess risks to occupants, and evaluate whether existing fire precautions are adequate. It should cover ignition sources, people at risk, fire protection measures, means of escape, evacuation arrangements, and fire safety management processes.
A suitable and sufficient assessment should also identify actions required to prevent fires, keep people safe, and maintain compliance with fire safety legislation.
Yes. Most fire risk assessment checklists follow a recognised five-step process: identify fire hazards, identify people at risk, evaluate and reduce risks, record findings and implement actions, and review the assessment regularly.
Within these steps, the assessment should consider potential ignition sources, fire protection measures, means of escape, evacuation arrangements, and the actions required to reduce the risk of fire.
A competent person should carry out the fire risk assessment. Many housing associations and managing agents appoint specialist assessors to help ensure the assessment reflects current legislation, guidance, and regulatory expectations.
BS 8674:2025 Code of practice sets out a framework for assessor competence. A competent assessor should have the appropriate skills, knowledge, experience, and understanding of fire safety for the type of building being assessed.
The Responsible Person must review the fire risk assessment regularly and update it whenever significant changes affect the building, occupancy, or fire safety arrangements.
A review should also take place following major refurbishment works, changes to occupancy, or after an event of a fire or near-miss incident.
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