A fire risk assessment is not a document you write once and forget. For Hampshire holiday let owners, reviewing fire risk assessment records regularly is a legal duty under the Fire Safety Order, and skipping it is one of the easiest ways to fall out of compliance without realising.
Why reviewing fire risk assessment records matters
The Fire Safety Order requires you to keep the risks and your fire safety measures under regular review. The reason is straightforward: properties change, furniture gets replaced, layouts get altered, and the rules themselves move, as the 2023 recording requirement showed. An assessment that was accurate three years ago may no longer reflect your property or the law.
How often
The Home Office guidance says an annual review is usually appropriate. That is the sensible default for most holiday lets. But the same guidance is clear that an annual cycle is a minimum rhythm, not the only trigger. Think of the yearly review as the backstop, with events during the year prompting earlier checks.
What forces an earlier review
You must also review following any significant change to the premises, or an incident such as a fire or a near miss. In practice, review your assessment whenever you carry out building work, change the layout, add or remove a log burner or other appliance, replace large items of furniture, or change who your typical guests are. If you start welcoming larger groups or families with young children, your escape planning may need to change.
What a review actually involves
A review is not always a full reassessment. You revisit the significant findings, check the measures are still in place and working, confirm nothing about the property or its use has changed, and update anything that has. If everything still holds, you record that you have reviewed it and note the date. If it does not, you update the assessment and act on the new findings.
Keep the record current
Either way, keep the dated record, because it is your evidence of compliance if Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service inspects. A clear history of dated reviews demonstrates that you take the duty seriously.
Tie it to your routine
Many owners link the annual review to a fixed point in the calendar, and combine it with their changeover checks. If you used a competent assessor originally, they can carry out periodic reviews and keep you current. You can read what a thorough assessment should cover in our guide to a suitable and sufficient assessment, or check the Home Office guidance.
What counts as a trigger for review
Beyond the annual look, certain events should prompt a fresh review straight away. The guidance points to changes such as a refurbishment, new furniture or appliances, a change in how the property is used, a near miss, or a fire. If you fit a log burner or start allowing larger groups, the risk profile shifts and the old assessment may no longer fit. Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service runs pre-season checks on guest accommodation, so an assessment that reflects the property as it is today, not as it was three years ago, is worth keeping current. Date every review and note what you checked, even when nothing has changed, because that dated trail is exactly what an inspecting officer expects to see.
Get the right advice for your property
Due a review and not sure where to start? For advice tailored to your property from a competent professional, speak to Jamie at ESI: Fire Safety on 01276 300 351.
