Your Fire Alarm Has Been Serviced. So Why Are Faults Still Outstanding?

Your fire alarm maintenance report might confirm that an engineer has attended, but does it tell you what’s working, what hasn’t been tested and which faults still need attention? More importantly, can you demonstrate that your fire alarm is being properly maintained, as required by law?

Imagine you’re managing an office building, restaurant or warehouse, and your fire alarm contractor has just completed the six-monthly service.

The engineer has been on site, tested a selection of detectors, checked the control panel and left a service certificate.

You receive the paperwork, file it with your other compliance records and make a note of the next service date.

Everything appears to be in order.

But have you actually read the report?

What happens if the engineer identified two defective smoke detectors, couldn’t access part of the building or discovered that a fire alarm interface wasn’t operating correctly?

Perhaps those faults are recorded somewhere in the report, but nobody has arranged for them to be repaired.

Or perhaps the certificate says the system has been serviced satisfactorily, but the building has been altered since the fire alarm was originally installed, leaving parts of the premises without suitable detection.

A fire alarm maintenance report is more than proof that somebody visited your building. It should help you understand the condition of the system, identify outstanding problems and demonstrate that appropriate maintenance is being undertaken.

And there’s an important legal point here. The Responsible Person has duties not only to maintain necessary fire safety equipment, but also to record the arrangements for managing, monitoring and reviewing fire safety.

So what should your maintenance report actually contain, what does BS 5839-1:2025 recommend and what should you do when the engineer identifies a problem?

Does a Fire Alarm Service Certificate Mean the System Is Compliant?

Not necessarily. There’s an important difference between having a fire alarm serviced and establishing that it continues to provide suitable protection for the building.

Under Article 17 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the Responsible Person must ensure that necessary fire safety equipment is subject to suitable maintenance arrangements and kept in efficient working order and good repair.

The Home Office’s guidance for Responsible Persons explains that this involves appropriate inspection, testing and servicing, with defects repaired as soon as practicable.

For commercial fire alarms, servicing is normally undertaken in accordance with BS 5839-1:2025, the current British Standard code of practice for fire detection and alarm systems in non-domestic premises.

However, routine servicing primarily considers the condition and operation of the existing installation. It doesn’t automatically establish whether the original design remains appropriate for the building.

Consider an office that has been refurbished since the fire alarm was installed.

Several large rooms have been divided into smaller offices, and a former storeroom has been converted into a commercial kitchen.

The existing detectors might operate perfectly when tested, but does the building still have suitable detection coverage? Are the detector types appropriate, and does the original fire alarm category remain suitable?

Those are questions about the fire alarm design and the building’s current fire risks.

A routine maintenance visit doesn’t necessarily include a full design review or validation of the installation.

A system can pass its functional tests and still be unsuitable for the building it’s protecting.

That’s why the findings of the maintenance contractor and the conclusions of the fire risk assessment need to be considered together.

What Does the Law Require You to Record About Fire Alarm Maintenance?

This is an area that deserves more attention than it often receives.

It’s not enough simply to arrange maintenance. The Responsible Person also needs suitable arrangements for managing and monitoring the building’s fire safety precautions.

Under Article 11 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the Responsible Person must establish and give effect to appropriate arrangements for the planning, organisation, control, monitoring and review of preventive and protective fire safety measures.

Article 11 also requires those arrangements to be recorded.

Since 1 October 2023, amendments introduced by Section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022 have made this recording requirement applicable to all Responsible Persons, regardless of the number of employees.

Previously, the requirement to record fire safety arrangements applied only in specified circumstances, such as businesses employing five or more people.

The Home Office’s guidance on the changes introduced by Section 156 explains these duties.

Does This Mean Every Service Certificate Must Be Kept by Law?

It’s worth being precise about what the legislation actually says.

Article 11 requires the Responsible Person to record their fire safety arrangements. It doesn’t expressly state that every individual fire alarm maintenance certificate must be retained for a particular number of years.

However, maintenance and testing records provide important evidence that those arrangements are being implemented.

The Government’s guide to making small non-domestic premises safe from fire specifically advises keeping suitable maintenance and testing records in a logbook or electronic format.

BS 5839-1:2025 also contains recommendations for fire alarm logbooks, inspection records, servicing documentation and recording relevant incidents and defects.

In practice, this means the Responsible Person should retain records demonstrating when the system was tested, what inspections were undertaken, which faults were identified and what action was taken.

Consider what happens when a fire safety inspector asks whether your fire alarm has been properly maintained.

Producing a maintenance contract is useful, but it doesn’t establish that the contractor actually attended or completed the necessary work.

A service report demonstrates what was done.

If that report identifies defects, the inspector may then want to know whether they were repaired.

A contractor’s repair report, completion record or subsequent satisfactory test provides evidence of what happened next.

The records create an audit trail showing that maintenance isn’t simply being arranged on paper, but is being carried out and followed through.

This is particularly important in larger buildings, residential developments and multi-occupied commercial premises where several people may be involved in managing fire safety.

What Should a Good Fire Alarm Maintenance Report Actually Include?

A useful maintenance report should explain what the engineer inspected, what was tested, which parts of the system couldn’t be checked and whether any defects or outstanding recommendations were identified.

It should also provide enough information for the Responsible Person to understand what needs attention.

For example, a report that simply states “Zone 4 fault” tells a building manager very little.

A report explaining that two smoke detectors in the second-floor storeroom failed to respond during testing, potentially leaving the room without its intended automatic detection, is considerably more useful.

The exact format will vary between contractors and systems, but the essential information should be clear.

Does the Report Identify Which Detectors Were Tested?

Commercial fire alarm systems aren’t necessarily tested in their entirety during every six-monthly servicing visit.

Under BS 5839-1:2025, professional inspection and servicing is recommended at approximately six-monthly intervals, with a permitted five-to-seven-month window for individual visits.

Some checks are undertaken during every visit, while others are completed over the twelve-month servicing programme.

The annual programme includes appropriate functional testing of all automatic fire detectors, manual call points and fire alarm warning devices.

That doesn’t mean every device must receive its full annual test at each six-monthly visit.

For example, a building containing 120 automatic detectors might have its annual testing distributed across two visits.

However, the contractor should maintain records identifying which devices have been tested so the complete annual programme can be demonstrated.

Clause 43.2.8 of BS 5839-1:2025 specifically recommends recording the initiating devices tested during each servicing visit.

The Fire Industry Association’s guidance on fire alarm logbooks explains this requirement.

If your maintenance report simply states that the fire alarm was tested without identifying the work undertaken, it’s reasonable to ask for the supporting information.

What if the Engineer Couldn’t Access Part of the Building?

This is particularly relevant in multi-occupied commercial properties.

Imagine a building with several separate office tenants.

The fire alarm contractor arrives to complete the scheduled service, but one tenant is away and the engineer cannot access the detectors within their premises.

Or perhaps a detector is installed at high level and suitable access equipment isn’t available.

Those limitations should be recorded.

The report should identify what couldn’t be inspected or tested, rather than leaving the Responsible Person to assume everything was completed.

Additional access arrangements may then be necessary to finish the servicing programme.

Under Article 22 of the Fire Safety Order, Responsible Persons who share premises or have duties relating to them must cooperate and coordinate their fire safety arrangements.

Where a landlord maintains a shared alarm system, the relevant occupiers need to cooperate with suitable access arrangements.

A missing test doesn’t automatically mean the device is defective, but neither should it be treated as evidence that the device is working.

What Should Happen When the Engineer Finds a Fire Alarm Fault?

Not every fire alarm fault has the same consequences.

A minor defect affecting a non-essential function may have limited implications.

But a fault that disables detection, prevents sounders operating or affects an important fire safety interface could have serious consequences.

Imagine a hotel where several bedroom detectors aren’t responding, or a warehouse where a defective interface prevents the fire alarm from operating an essential ventilation shutdown.

These problems require more than a brief comment on the maintenance report.

The contractor should identify the defect, explain its effect on the system and make clear what remedial action is required.

Where the defect cannot be repaired during the service, it should be brought to the attention of the Responsible Person.

The FIA’s guide to the changes in BS 5839-1:2025 also explains that where a fault cannot be effectively repaired, the fault indication shouldn’t simply be concealed or suppressed.

A fault indication provides information about the condition of the system. Removing the indication without addressing the problem can create a misleading impression that the installation is operating normally.

Can the Repair Wait Until the Next Service?

That depends on the nature of the defect and the risks associated with the premises.

The Home Office explains that where essential fire safety equipment becomes faulty or unavailable, the risk should be considered immediately and suitable remedial action identified.

For some faults, prompt repairs may be sufficient.

For more serious impairments, temporary fire safety precautions may be necessary until the system is restored.

Those precautions could include increased supervision, alternative warning arrangements or restricting access to affected areas, depending on the circumstances.

A fault affecting sleeping accommodation may require a different response from a relatively minor defect in an otherwise functioning system.

The important thing is that the Responsible Person understands what protection has been lost and ensures suitable action is taken.

A defect doesn’t become acceptable simply because the maintenance contractor has recorded it on a certificate.

Were Any Fire Alarm Devices or Zones Left Disabled?

Fire alarm systems sometimes need to be partially disabled during servicing, testing or building works.

There can be legitimate reasons for temporarily isolating detectors, sounders or interfaces.

However, disablements need to be properly controlled.

BS 5839-1:2025 recommends that where servicing involves disabling protection in significant parts of the system, the duration should be kept to a practicable minimum and premises management informed about the areas affected.

This also applies where sounders or visual alarm devices are disabled.

Before leaving, the engineer should ensure that temporary disablements have been appropriately cleared and the system returned to its intended operating condition.

Where equipment needs to remain disabled because of an unresolved defect or ongoing work, that limitation should be clearly recorded and communicated.

Imagine discovering that a fire alarm zone serving an unoccupied basement has remained disabled for several weeks because it was never reinstated after refurbishment work.

The absence of a fire alarm activation doesn’t mean the area is protected.

An effective maintenance report should make any continuing disablements clear and identify the action necessary to restore protection.

Does the Maintenance Report Cover Fire Alarm Interfaces?

Modern commercial fire alarms often do more than activate sounders.

They may release electromagnetic fire door holders, operate access control equipment, shut down ventilation or activate smoke control systems.

Some also transmit fire and fault signals to an Alarm Receiving Centre.

These functions may be important to the building’s fire strategy.

For example, if the fire alarm is designed to release doors held open electromagnetically, the relevant interface should operate when required.

The servicing programme should include appropriate checks of these functions.

However, checking the operation of a fire alarm interface doesn’t necessarily mean that the connected equipment has received its own specialist maintenance.

A smoke control installation or firefighting lift, for example, may require separate inspection and servicing arrangements.

For more complex systems, it’s also important to distinguish routine interface checks from comprehensive cause-and-effect testing.

The annual servicing recommendations don’t automatically require every possible cause-and-effect combination to be tested. Where more extensive testing is necessary, that should be clearly specified and agreed.

What About Alarm Receiving Centre Monitoring?

Where a fire alarm automatically transmits signals to an Alarm Receiving Centre, BS 5839-1:2025 recommends checking the relevant alarm transmission arrangements at every service visit.

Where different signal types are transmitted, such as fire and fault conditions, the correct transmission of each should be confirmed.

The report should enable the Responsible Person to establish whether those checks were undertaken and whether any problems were identified.

It’s also worth confirming that the monitoring company has current emergency contact and keyholder information.

A fire alarm that successfully transmits a signal is of limited practical value if the nominated keyholder left the business several months ago.

Should the Report Mention False Alarms?

Where relevant, absolutely.

Repeated unwanted fire alarm activations can disrupt business operations and undermine occupants’ confidence in the warning system.

BS 5839-1:2025 strengthened the recommendations concerning investigation and recording of false alarms.

The standard recommends calculating the false alarm rate at each servicing visit, with particular thresholds indicating when further investigation is appropriate.

It also recommends that the system user arranges suitable investigation of each false alarm.

For example, repeated activations from one detector could indicate contamination, an unsuitable detector type, poor positioning or changes in how a room is used.

The appropriate solution might involve maintenance, replacement, further investigation or a design review.

Simply replacing smoke detectors with heat detectors to stop unwanted alarms could delay detection during a real fire.

The aim should be to identify the cause and restore reliable early warning without unnecessary activations.

The fire alarm logbook should contain enough information to identify recurring problems, including when alarms occurred, the devices involved where known and the actions taken.

If your building has experienced repeated false alarms and the servicing report doesn’t address them, it’s reasonable to ask why.

What About Fire Alarm Zone Plans and Device Descriptions?

Fire alarm zone plans help occupants and attending firefighters identify where an alarm has originated.

They’re particularly important in larger or more complicated buildings.

BS 5839-1:2025 recommends that, over the annual servicing programme, the zone identification reported by the fire alarm control equipment is checked against the zone plan.

However, there’s another consideration with addressable systems.

These panels may identify individual devices using descriptions such as “First Floor Office 12” or “Rear Store Smoke Detector”.

Those descriptions can become inaccurate when rooms are renamed, partitions installed or the building’s layout changed.

The FIA explains that checking every text description on an addressable fire alarm isn’t specifically recommended as part of routine servicing.

Premises management should inform the servicing contractor when changes need to be made.

So if an old storeroom has become a kitchen or the second-floor offices have been subdivided, don’t assume the maintenance engineer will automatically identify and correct every device description.

Those changes should be communicated and appropriate amendments arranged.

What if the Report Identifies Variations from BS 5839-1?

A variation is an agreed departure from one of the British Standard’s recommendations.

Some variations may be appropriate where they’re properly justified and agreed.

However, they need to be documented.

BS 5839-1:2025 recommends recording all agreed variations in the system logbook, rather than only those previously described as major variations.

The standard also identifies certain departures that shouldn’t be regarded as acceptable variations.

For example, the absence of an appropriate zone plan in premises where more than one detection zone is present on a storey is identified as an unacceptable variation.

If a maintenance report lists variations, it’s worth establishing what they involve, why they were agreed and whether the building’s fire safety arrangements remain suitable.

Some matters may need to be referred to the fire risk assessor, fire alarm designer or another competent specialist.

The Responsible Person should understand the implications rather than assuming that recording a variation automatically makes it acceptable.

Who Is Responsible for Acting on the Maintenance Report?

The maintenance contractor is responsible for carrying out the work they’ve agreed to undertake and communicating the relevant findings.

But the Responsible Person retains legal duties concerning the maintenance and suitability of the building’s fire precautions.

That means somebody needs to read the report and make sure necessary action follows.

At ESI: Fire Safety, we’d recommend considering the findings according to their potential consequences.

Where a fault affects essential detection, warning or another important fire safety function, the risk needs immediate consideration and suitable remedial action.

Other defects may be appropriate for inclusion within a planned maintenance programme, with clear timescales and evidence of completion.

Where the report identifies concerns about detector coverage, system category, alarm audibility or changes to the building, further assessment may be necessary.

A fire alarm engineer can identify technical concerns, but a separate design review or fire risk assessment may be appropriate to establish whether the existing installation remains suitable.

The important distinction is between a defect that can be resolved by repairing a component and one that requires reconsideration of the building’s fire safety strategy.

Why Is Keeping Fire Alarm Maintenance Records So Important?

The fire alarm maintenance report provides more than evidence that an engineer attended.

It helps establish the condition of the system, the testing completed, the defects identified and the action taken.

Together with the fire alarm logbook, repair records and documented maintenance arrangements, it provides an audit trail of how the installation has been managed.

This is particularly important when demonstrating the ongoing arrangements required by Articles 11 and 17 of the Fire Safety Order.

Consider a situation where a contractor identifies a defective detector in March.

The report is filed away, but the repair isn’t arranged.

Six months later, the September service identifies the same defective detector.

Both maintenance visits may have taken place on schedule, but the records show that an important defect has remained outstanding.

Now consider the same situation where the defect was recorded, a repair was authorised, the component was replaced and the work was tested.

The maintenance history provides evidence of the entire process.

That’s what good fire safety management looks like.

The FIA’s guidance on fire alarm logbooks confirms that records may be kept in paper or digital form, provided they’re accessible to the relevant people.

There’s no requirement under BS 5839-1:2025 for every building to maintain a traditional paper logbook if suitable digital arrangements are in place.

The important thing is that the records remain accurate, available and properly maintained.

These documents can be valuable during fire risk assessments, fire and rescue service inspections, insurance enquiries and changes in building management.

If the managing agent changes or a new maintenance contractor takes over, the records provide continuity and help establish what’s been undertaken and what remains outstanding.

A maintenance report showing that a defect was identified isn’t evidence that it was repaired. You need to be able to demonstrate what happened next.

What Should You Do When the Maintenance Report Arrives?

The simplest advice is not to file it away without reading it.

Check whether the servicing programme was completed as intended and whether any areas or devices couldn’t be tested.

Establish whether the engineer identified faults, disablements, repeated false alarms or concerns about the system’s condition.

Where repairs are necessary, ensure there’s a clear arrangement for completing them.

For serious impairments, consider the risks immediately and implement suitable temporary precautions if required.

For less urgent defects, assign responsibility, agree a realistic timescale and record the completion evidence.

Where the report raises questions about the suitability of the design or changes to the building, involve the appropriate fire safety specialist.

And once the work has been completed, make sure the maintenance records are updated.

This doesn’t need to become a complicated administrative process. A straightforward action register showing the defect, its priority, the person responsible and the evidence of completion can be extremely useful.

The key is to make sure that findings don’t disappear into a filing system without being addressed.

Is a Satisfactory Service Report Enough to Rely On?

A satisfactory service report can provide useful reassurance that the applicable maintenance work was completed without significant problems being identified.

However, it shouldn’t be treated as an unconditional guarantee that every aspect of the fire alarm installation is suitable.

Routine servicing has a defined scope.

It doesn’t automatically include a complete design assessment, verification of the system category or a comprehensive review of every interface and cause-and-effect arrangement.

Nor does it guarantee that the building hasn’t changed since the original installation.

If you’re responsible for a large or older system, particularly one that’s been altered repeatedly, it may be worth arranging an independent technical review.

This can be especially useful where the original design documentation is missing, different contractors have worked on the installation or the building’s use has changed.

A competent review can establish whether the system remains appropriate and whether further testing, alterations or specialist investigation is necessary.

Don’t Just File the Certificate Away

Fire alarm servicing is an essential part of maintaining suitable fire safety precautions, but its value depends on what happens after the engineer leaves.

A good maintenance report should explain what was inspected and tested, identify outstanding defects and limitations, and provide enough information for the Responsible Person to understand what needs doing.

The legal duties don’t end when the service certificate is issued.

Articles 11 and 17 require suitable arrangements for managing, monitoring and maintaining necessary fire safety precautions, and the supporting records help demonstrate how those arrangements operate in practice.

Where faults have been identified, they need to be assessed and addressed. Where tests couldn’t be completed, further arrangements may be necessary. And where the building has changed, the fire alarm design may need reviewing.

Because the real question isn’t simply whether your fire alarm has been serviced. It’s whether the system is working as intended, whether outstanding defects have been dealt with and whether you can demonstrate that the building’s fire safety is being properly managed.

Need Help Understanding Your Fire Alarm Maintenance Report?

At ESI: Fire Safety, we help business owners, landlords, facilities managers and managing agents understand their fire alarm systems and their responsibilities for maintaining them.

Our services include fire risk assessments, fire alarm design, commissioning and validation, together with independent consultancy on existing installations, maintenance records and outstanding defects.

We work with offices, restaurants, shops, factories, warehouses and multi-occupied developments across Alton in Hampshire, Walton-on-Thames in Surrey, Pangbourne in Berkshire, Lewes in East Sussex, Gravesend in Kent, Woodstock in Oxfordshire and Putney in South West London, together with surrounding areas.

If your maintenance report contains unexplained faults, unresolved recommendations or concerns about the suitability of the existing fire alarm, we can help establish what those findings mean and whether further investigation or remedial work is necessary.

We can also review your existing fire safety documentation and advise on the records needed to support your ongoing compliance arrangements.

ESI: Fire Safety — No Shortcuts in Safety.

Contact ESI: Fire Safety or call 01276 300 351 to discuss your fire alarm maintenance report or arrange a fire safety compliance review.

This article focuses on non-domestic fire detection and alarm systems in England and Wales. The requirements for maintaining, recording and reviewing fire safety arrangements depend on the premises, the equipment provided and the relevant risks.