If you’re responsible for a business premises, rental property, or a building with shared areas, then fire safety regulations apply to you—and at the heart of those rules is the Fire Risk Assessment.
Whether you’re new to fire safety or just trying to keep up with changing legislation, this post will walk you through the key fire risk assessment regulations, what they require from you, and what’s changed in recent years that you really need to know.
Let’s break it down clearly and simply.
The Core Law: The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
The main regulation that governs fire risk assessments in England and Wales is the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, often shortened to the Fire Safety Order.
This law applies to all non-domestic premises—which includes:
- Offices and shops
- Warehouses and factories
- Pubs, restaurants, and hotels
- Holiday lets and short-term rentals
- Common areas of flats and HMOs
- Community centres, churches, schools, and more
If people work in, visit, or live in the building (outside of a private home), you likely fall under this law.
The Fire Safety Order places the legal duty on the Responsible Person—that’s usually the employer, building owner, landlord, or managing agent—to ensure fire risks are properly assessed and managed.
What the Fire Safety Order Requires
Under this regulation, you must:
✅ Carry out a Fire Risk Assessment
✅ Identify fire hazards and who is at risk
✅ Evaluate and reduce risks where possible
✅ Put in place fire safety measures (e.g. alarms, escape routes, signage)
✅ Provide fire safety information and training
✅ Review and update the assessment regularly
Until fairly recently, the rules were open to interpretation in some areas. But that’s changed.
What’s Changed? Key Regulation Updates
Over the past few years, the UK government has strengthened fire safety law—especially in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy. Several major updates now apply:
🔸 Fire Safety Act 2021
This clarified that external walls, balconies, cladding, and flat entrance doors must be considered as part of your Fire Risk Assessment—particularly for residential buildings.
It closed previous loopholes and made it clear that even external features that could affect fire spread are part of your legal responsibilities.
🔸 Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022
These introduced additional legal duties for multi-occupied residential buildings from January 2023, especially those:
- Over 11 metres in height
- With more complex layouts or multiple Responsible Persons
- Considered high risk by the fire service or local authority
Key requirements include:
- Regular fire door checks (annually for flat entrance doors, quarterly for communal doors)
- Providing fire safety instructions to residents
- Sharing building plans and information with fire and rescue services
- Installing and maintaining appropriate wayfinding signage
🔸 October 2023 Update
One of the biggest changes:
From October 2023, all Fire Risk Assessments must be recorded in writing—even for the smallest premises, sole traders, or buildings with fewer than five employees.
There’s no longer any room for informal or undocumented assessments. You must keep written evidence of your assessment, any actions taken, and when it’s been reviewed.
Who Can Carry Out a Fire Risk Assessment?
The Fire Safety Order says the assessment must be done by a “competent person.”
This means someone with:
- Enough knowledge of fire risks and safety systems
- Relevant training or formal qualifications (e.g. Level 3 or above)
- Experience of assessing similar types of buildings
- A good understanding of current fire safety legislation
At ESI: Electrical Safety Inspections, our assessors meet this standard—and exceed it. We’re qualified to Level 3 as a minimum, with many holding Level 6 qualifications, and we’re proud members of the Institute of Fire Safety Managers.
How Often Do You Need to Review the Assessment?
While the regulations don’t give a fixed timeframe, the expectation is clear: your assessment must be kept up to date and reviewed regularly, especially when:
- There’s been a fire or near-miss
- You’ve made changes to the building or layout
- Occupancy has changed (new tenants, staff, etc.)
- Fire safety systems have been upgraded or altered
- New regulations or guidance come into effect
For most buildings, we recommend a review at least once a year.
Final Thoughts
The fire risk assessment regulations in the UK are no longer vague or optional.
They’re clear, detailed, and legally enforceable—and they apply to almost every non-domestic or multi-occupied residential building.
Whether you’re managing a single shop or a small block of flats, you need to:
✅ Have a written fire risk assessment
✅ Appoint someone competent to carry it out
✅ Review and update it regularly
✅ Take action on any risks identified
Need help understanding or meeting your responsibilities?
Contact ESI today or book your fire risk assessment online. We work across Hampshire, Surrey, and Berkshire, helping landlords, business owners, and property managers stay safe, compliant, and confident.
