Fire Compartmentation Surveys London for Blocks & Estates

Fire compartmentation is the division of a building into fire-resisting compartments using walls, floors, ceilings, protected shafts and risers, so that fire and smoke are contained for a defined period and escape routes are protected. It is fundamental to a building's fire strategy: it buys time for occupants to escape and for the fire service to respond. A compartmentation survey checks whether those lines are intact and performing as intended, or whether they have been breached by alterations, services or poor workmanship.

It includes a review of the building's compartmentation strategy and available drawings, then a site inspection of compartment walls, floors and ceilings, protected routes, risers, service cupboards and accessible voids, checking junctions, penetrations and fire stopping against the intended strategy. Defects are recorded with photographs and marked-up location references, given a risk priority and set out in a remedial schedule. Where concealed elements cannot be confirmed visually, we recommend and scope intrusive investigation.

It can be either. A non-intrusive survey is a visual review of accessible areas and is well suited to an initial risk review and remedial planning. An intrusive survey involves opening-up to inspect hidden voids, cavity barriers and concealed fire stopping, and is appropriate for higher-risk buildings, unclear records or major remediation planning. The right approach depends on the building, access, the records available and the known risk, and we agree it with the client before starting.

Yes. Risers, service cupboards and service penetrations are among the most common locations for compartmentation breaches, because pipework, cabling, ducts and trays are routinely added or altered without the fire stopping being correctly reinstated. We inspect accessible risers and penetrations, record observed defects, and flag where concealed sections need intrusive investigation to be confirmed reliably.

Compartmentation is the overall strategy: the fire-resisting walls, floors and protected routes that divide the building. Fire stopping is one part of delivering that strategy: the sealing of gaps, joints and service penetrations through compartment lines so the fire resistance is continuous. This page focuses on the compartmentation survey; the broader fire stopping, cavity barrier and service-sealing review is covered on our Passive Fire Protection Surveys page, and the two are often instructed together.

Yes. We support residential blocks, schools and academy trusts, universities and student accommodation, NHS and healthcare estates, care homes, hotels, offices and housing association buildings. The approach is scaled to the building type and its operational constraints, including occupied and live-environment working where access has to be planned carefully.

Fire doors are part of compartmentation, as they protect openings in compartment lines and escape routes. They can be inspected as a dedicated fire door inspection or alongside a compartmentation or passive fire protection survey, depending on the instruction. We will advise the most proportionate combination for the building rather than duplicating scope.

No. A compartmentation survey is technical building survey evidence that informs fire safety decisions and a fire risk assessment; it does not replace the statutory fire risk assessment or the responsible person's duties under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. It is commonly instructed because a fire risk assessment has recommended a compartmentation review. We are explicit about that boundary.

Yes. For higher-risk buildings, compartmentation evidence is an important part of the building safety case and golden thread information. We provide the technical survey evidence and remedial priorities that support those duties, coordinated with FRAEW, fire door and other inputs where relevant. The statutory duties remain with the Accountable Person; our role is to make the technical evidence robust and clearly attributed.

Yes, subject to appointment scope. Findings can be developed into a prioritised remedial schedule and tender-ready scope information so fire stopping and remedial works can be procured competitively. We act independently of the contractor carrying out the works, which keeps the specification and any tender evaluation objective.

Yes. We can prepare the remedial scope, support tender documentation, help identify a suitable contractor pool and evaluate returns objectively, then provide a clear recommendation. Where the works proceed we can also support contract administration and monitoring, so the client retains independent oversight of quality and cost rather than relying on the contractor alone.

There is no single law that names a 'fire compartmentation survey' as a standalone legal requirement. What the law requires is broader: under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the responsible person for most non-domestic premises and the common parts of multi-occupied residential buildings must carry out a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment and put in place and maintain appropriate fire precautions, which include the building's compartmentation and passive fire protection. A compartmentation survey is the practical way to gather the evidence a responsible person needs to understand the condition of those measures and act on the fire risk assessment. For higher-risk buildings, duties under the Building Safety Act 2022 and the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 raise expectations further. Whether a survey is needed, and how detailed it should be, depends on the building, its risk profile and what the fire risk assessment recommends.

There is no fixed statutory interval for a compartmentation survey. The right frequency is risk-based and is usually driven by the building's fire risk assessment, its construction and use, and any known issues or recent works. In practice, a baseline compartmentation survey establishes the current position, and re-inspection is then planned around the fire risk assessment review cycle, significant refurbishment or maintenance that disturbs compartment lines (for example new services penetrating walls or floors), and any incidents or defects found. Higher-risk buildings under the Building Safety Act 2022, and multi-occupied residential buildings under the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, carry additional expectations, but the underlying principle is the same: check when the risk picture changes, not simply to a fixed calendar.