How to Choose a Fire Risk Assessor

Choose a fire risk assessor who can demonstrate relevant qualifications, recent experience of buildings like yours and appropriate professional credentials. Ask who will carry out the assessment, how findings will be reported and whether you can see an example report before appointing them.

The assessor should also understand the fire safety risks and management challenges associated with your building types and portfolio. Independent third-party certification, such as BAFE SP205 for the provider, can provide additional assurance when comparing fire risk assessment companies.

Why Does Choosing the Right Fire Risk Assessor Matter?

A Fire Risk Assessment influences far more than legal compliance. The quality of the assessment affects how fire safety risks are identified, how remedial works are prioritised, and how confidently property owners and managers can make decisions about their buildings.

A competent assessor should produce a practical, proportionate assessment that supports ongoing fire safety management rather than simply identifying defects.

Better Fire Safety Decisions

Property owners and managers rely on Fire Risk Assessments to make decisions about maintenance, investment, and resident safety. A thorough assessment should identify genuine fire safety risks, explain why action is required, and prioritise recommendations according to the level of risk.

Poor-quality assessments may overlook significant issues or recommend unnecessary remedial work, making it more difficult to manage fire safety effectively.

Supporting Fire Safety Compliance

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires Responsible Persons to ensure a suitable and sufficient Fire Risk Assessment is carried out where required. 

A competent fire risk assessor helps organisations demonstrate they have taken reasonable steps to understand and manage fire safety risks while supporting ongoing compliance.

Protecting Residents and Buildings

A Fire Risk Assessment should identify issues that could affect the safety of occupants, including deficiencies relating to escape routes, fire doors, compartmentation, fire detection, emergency lighting, and other fire safety measures.

Early identification of these issues allows organisations to prioritise remedial work before defects become more significant and helps maintain a safer living environment for residents.

Avoiding Unnecessary Costs

The cheapest Fire Risk Assessment is not always the best value. Poor-quality reports may lead to unnecessary expenditure, inconsistent recommendations, or the need for the assessment to be repeated.

An experienced assessor should provide clear, proportionate recommendations that help organisations invest in the measures most likely to improve fire safety, reducing the risk of unnecessary remedial work and repeated assessments.

What Is a Competent Fire Risk Assessor?

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires Fire Risk Assessments to be carried out by a competent person where the Responsible Person does not have sufficient knowledge to complete the assessment themselves.

A competent fire risk assessor should have an appropriate combination of:

• Fire safety knowledge
• Relevant qualifications
• Practical experience
• Continuing professional development (CPD)
• Experience of assessing similar building types

Competence is not defined by a single qualification. Organisations should consider the assessor’s technical knowledge, practical experience and ability to carry out a suitable and sufficient assessment for the type of building involved.

What Is BAFE SP205?

BAFE SP205 is the UK’s recognised third-party certification scheme for organisations that provide Fire Risk Assessments. The scheme demonstrates that a provider has been independently assessed against recognised standards for competence, quality management, and the delivery of Fire Risk Assessments.

Assessment under the scheme includes areas such as:

• Technical competence
• Assessment procedures
• Quality management systems
• Staff training and competency
• Internal quality assurance
• Ongoing independent auditing

A BAFE SP205-accredited provider offers organisations additional confidence that Fire Risk Assessments are delivered through independently verified systems and consistent assessment processes, rather than relying solely on the qualifications or experience of an individual assessor.

Does Experience with Your Building Type Matter?

Different building types present different fire safety risks, legal duties, and management challenges. An assessor who regularly works on residential buildings is more likely to understand the issues commonly encountered in those properties than someone whose experience is primarily in offices, retail premises, or industrial buildings.

Relevant experience is particularly important for:

• Blocks of flats
• High-rise residential buildings
• Housing association properties
• Large private rented portfolios
• Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs)
• Mixed-use developments

Before appointing an assessor, ask whether they have recent experience carrying out Fire Risk Assessments for buildings similar to your own. They should also understand the legislation, guidance, and fire safety issues that apply to that type of property.

What Questions Should You Ask Before Appointing a Fire Risk Assessor?

The quality of a Fire Risk Assessment depends on both the competence of the assessor and the systems supporting their work. Asking the right questions before making an appointment can help organisations compare providers on more than price alone.

Key questions include:

• Is your organisation accredited?
• Who will carry out the Fire Risk Assessment?
• What qualifications, experience, and professional accreditations do they hold?
• Have they recently assessed buildings similar to ours?
• Do they hold appropriate professional indemnity and public liability insurance?
• How are findings prioritised within the report?
• Will the assessment include a clear, risk-based action plan?
• What support do you provide after the assessment has been completed?

The answers should give a clear indication of the provider’s competence, experience, and approach to delivering Fire Risk Assessments. A provider should be able to explain their methodology, demonstrate relevant experience, and show how their assessments support practical fire safety management.

What Should a Good Fire Risk Assessment Include?

A high-quality Fire Risk Assessment should do more than identify deficiencies. It should provide Responsible Persons with the information they need to understand the building’s fire safety risks, prioritise remedial work, and make informed management decisions.

A well-prepared report should include:

• A clear description of the building and the areas assessed
• The significant fire hazards identified
• The people who may be at risk
• Existing fire safety measures and their effectiveness
• The significance of each finding and the level of risk
• Practical recommendations prioritised according to risk
• Any limitations affecting the assessment
• A clear action plan to support ongoing fire safety management

The report should leave Responsible Persons with a clear understanding of the building’s fire safety position and the actions needed to maintain or improve compliance.

Read What Does a Fire Risk Assessment Include? for a detailed explanation of the information a Fire Risk Assessment should contain.

What Are the Warning Signs of a Poor Fire Risk Assessment?

The quality of Fire Risk Assessments can vary considerably. A report that lacks detail or fails to explain its findings may make it difficult for organisations to understand the risks within their buildings or prioritise appropriate action.

Warning signs include:

• Generic reports that could apply to almost any building
• Recommendations that are not supported by clear findings
• Little explanation of the risks identified or why action is required
• Every recommendation assigned the same level of priority
• Significant findings that lack sufficient detail or location references
• No clear action plan or practical guidance for managing recommendations
• Reports that focus on identifying defects without considering proportionate solutions

A good Fire Risk Assessment should provide confidence that the building has been thoroughly assessed and that the recommendations are clear, proportionate, and supported by appropriate evidence.

What Should Portfolio Managers Look for in a Fire Risk Assessment Provider?

Property managers responsible for multiple residential buildings often need more than a Fire Risk Assessment. They need a provider capable of delivering consistent assessments across an entire portfolio.

When comparing providers, consider whether they can offer:

• Consistent reporting across different buildings
• Recommendations prioritised using the same methodology
• Capacity to assess multiple properties
• Clear action plans that support portfolio-wide compliance
• Technical advice on complex or recurring fire safety issues
• Ongoing support as buildings, legislation, or fire safety risks change

A consistent approach makes it easier to compare findings across properties, prioritise investment, and monitor outstanding actions. This becomes particularly valuable where responsibility for fire safety is shared across multiple teams or contractors.

Choosing the Right Fire Risk Assessor

The right Fire Risk Assessment provides more than a snapshot of a building’s fire safety. It gives Responsible Persons the information they need to understand risk, prioritise action, and make informed decisions with confidence.

If you are responsible for fire safety compliance across a residential portfolio and need a trusted and accredited provider, Osterna can help. We deliver professional Fire Risk Assessments for housing associations, managing agents, local authorities, freeholders, employers, and large private landlords across the UK. 

Contact the Osterna team today to discuss your Fire Risk Assessment requirements.