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Fire risk assessment London: competent assessor coordination and action planning
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment by a competent person. For a fire risk assessment London landlords, freeholders, RMC directors and managing agents can rely on, the brief has to be building-specific, not a tick-box certificate bought only to put on file.
Our role is the client-side technical lead. We scope which Type of assessment the building and circumstances justify - Type 1 (common parts, non-destructive) through Type 4 (destructive, in and beyond common parts) - procure competent, appropriately insured fire risk assessors, brief them with the construction, history and known issues a cold visit would miss, and turn the resulting action plan into scoped, costed, tracked work. The statutory assessment itself is signed by the competent assessor who carried it out; appointment scope, competence and professional indemnity insurance are confirmed before proceeding, exactly as on our FRAEW work.
BS 8674:2025 is the British Standard code of practice setting out a framework for the competence of individual fire risk assessors, at Foundation, Intermediate and Advanced levels. We procure assessors at the BS 8674 level appropriate to the building’s size, complexity and risk, and confirm that level with the appointment. In March 2026 the government opened a consultation on regulating the fire risk assessor profession, including mandatory accreditation; we will reflect any resulting requirements once they are confirmed.
This structure exists because the failure mode is so common: a generic FRA, bought on price, missing what matters about the building, with an action plan nobody owns. Pairing a competent assessor with a surveyor who knows the fabric - compartmentation, doors, external walls and services - produces assessments that stand up and action plans that close.
Provider
Hampstead Chartered Surveyors & Building Consultancy, Hampstead NW3
Reviewed by
Savas Bulduk BSc (Hons) MRICS, Director & Chartered Building Surveyor
Coverage
North, North West, Central, West, South West, South East and East London
Service
Fire Risk Assessments (Type 1-4)
Regulation
RICS Regulated Firm No. 923064
Insurance
Professional indemnity insurance held
Contact
What to send, and what you receive
Share a few building details and we will confirm the right assessment or survey scope and a fee before you instruct.
What to send before we quote
- The building address and postcode
- Height or number of storeys, if known
- Tenure and how the building is used
- Any existing fire risk assessment or fire reports
- Drawings or previous external wall information
What you receive
- A written assessment, survey or review suited to the instruction
- Findings and recommended next steps
- A clear scope of what was and was not assessed
Some work can need specialist input (for example opening-up, laboratory analysis or a fire engineer); we set out where this applies and coordinate it where instructed. Ask what the report would include.
When to instruct this service
- A block, school or workplace needs its statutory FRA renewed and the last one was generic
- Type 2 or Type 4 destructive sampling is being considered and needs scoping before contractors open anything up
- An action plan has accumulated items nobody has scoped, costed or closed
- A responsible person or accountable person wants one technical lead across FRA, FRAEW and compartmentation work
- Post-works assurance: confirming fire-stopping and doors after refurbishment before the FRA is updated
- A portfolio needs consistent FRA scoping, procurement and tracking across many buildings
What this service covers
Type selection and scoping
Advice on whether Type 1, 2, 3 or 4 is justified, where sampling should occur, and how flat-front and in-flat access will be handled.
Assessor procurement
Competent, third-party-registered fire risk assessors procured with confirmed scope, competence and insurance - the statutory assessment is theirs to sign.
Technical briefing and access
The assessor arrives knowing the construction, history, previous works and known defects; we coordinate access and opening-up where Types 2/4 require it.
Action plan delivery
Findings translated into prioritised, specified, costed and tracked works - with compartmentation, fire doors and PFP surveys feeding the same programme.
Outputs
- A written scoping note: the right Type, sampling strategy and access plan
- A statutory FRA by a competent assessor, properly briefed
- A prioritised action plan converted into deliverable work packages
- Coordination records linking FRA, FRAEW and compartmentation findings
- Close-out evidence for the responsible person's records
Process
Review the building
Construction, history, previous assessments and known issues assembled before anyone is appointed.
Scope the Type
Type 1-4, sampling locations and access agreed with you in writing.
Procure the assessor
Competence, registration and insurance confirmed; appointment scoped.
Support the assessment
Briefing, access and opening-up coordination through the visit(s).
Convert the findings
Action plan items specified, costed and sequenced with other works.
Track to closure
Progress reported until the plan is closed and records are complete.
Fire risk assessment duties in London buildings
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 puts the duty on the responsible person — usually the freeholder, RMC or managing agent in a residential block — and requires a suitable and sufficient assessment. The Fire Safety Act 2021 confirmed that external walls and flat entrance doors are within scope for multi-occupied residential buildings, and the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 have applied from 23 January 2023.
London’s stock makes that duty harder than the legislation sounds: converted terraces with single stairs, mansion blocks with original doors, mixed-use buildings over restaurants, and post-war estates with decades of alteration. The right assessment type matters as much as the assessment itself — a Type 1 review cannot answer questions that only opening up compartmentation (Type 2 or Type 4) or in-flat checks (Type 3 or Type 4) can resolve.
The duty also extends well beyond residential blocks. The Fire Safety Order applies to virtually all non-domestic premises, including offices, schools, shops, restaurants, community buildings and common parts of mixed-use buildings. We scope the FRA to the building use, the responsible person and the evidence needed to close the action plan.
Type 1, 2, 3 and 4 in plain terms
The four "types" come from sector guidance on fire risk assessments in blocks of flats. They describe how far the assessment goes - not how good it is - and choosing between them is a judgement about the building, its alteration history and what earlier assessments have found.
Type 1 - common parts, non-destructive
The standard starting point for a purpose-built block of flats. The assessor examines the common parts without opening up construction, covering means of escape, alarm and emergency lighting provision and, since the Fire Safety Act 2021 clarified the scope, the external walls and flat entrance doors so far as they can reasonably be judged without intrusive work. For most London blocks with no adverse history, a competent Type 1 assessment is all that is needed.
Type 2 - common parts, destructive
A Type 1 scope plus sample opening-up of the common-parts construction. It is instructed when a Type 1 assessment, a fire or the building's history gives reason to doubt the structural fire separation - a frequent concern in converted period buildings where original walls, floors and risers have been altered. The destructive element is normally targeted and sample-based rather than wholesale.
Type 3 - common parts and flats, non-destructive
Extends the non-destructive assessment into a sample of flats, looking at flat entrance doors from the inside, detection within the flats, the means of escape inside each flat and visible signs of altered layouts. It suits converted terraces and maisonettes where flat interiors have been remodelled over the years and no reliable records exist.
Type 4 - common parts and flats, destructive
The fullest assessment: sample destructive inspection in both the common parts and a sample of flats, usually arranged around vacant flats or agreed access. A Type 4 is justified after a fire, where serious hidden deficiencies are suspected, or ahead of a major refurbishment when opening-up can be coordinated with the planned works rather than done twice.
We advise which type is proportionate for the building, brief the assessor accordingly and turn the findings into a prioritised action plan. Where the findings point to defective separation or doors, our fire compartmentation surveys and fire door inspections take the remedial scope forward.
Common fire risk assessment instructions
- First FRAs for newly acquired or newly managed blocks.
- Review and re-tender of ageing Type 1 assessments.
- Type 3 and Type 4 scoping where compartmentation is doubted.
- FRA programmes across managed portfolios.
- Assessments for schools, offices and mixed-use buildings.
- Action plan prioritisation and budget alignment.
- Coordination with fire door and compartmentation surveys.
- Evidence packs for lenders, insurers and leaseholders.
- Post-works review of completed remedial items.
- Integration with Building Safety Act duties on taller buildings.
Fire risk assessment cost factors in London
Fire risk assessment cost depends on building size, use, access, risk profile and whether the brief is a Type 1, Type 2, Type 3 or Type 4 FRA. A small common-parts-only review is very different from a destructive assessment with in-flat access, opening-up and follow-on remedial scoping.
We confirm a fixed fee in writing after scoping the building and the brief, before any work starts. The assessor’s fee is procured transparently and passed through without mark-up; our coordination fee is stated separately.
What affects the fee
- Building size, height, use and risk profile
- Assessment Type and extent of destructive sampling
- Access complexity, including in-flat access for Types 3 and 4
- Portfolio size where multiple buildings are programmed
- Extent of action-plan delivery support required
A representative fire risk assessment instruction
The following London inspection and reporting workflow breakdown shows how our RICS surveyors scope, inspect and report on real properties across London; see our published London surveying case studies for completed project records.
- Typical client: A managing agent taking over a 1930s mansion block
- Typical property: Five storeys, two cores, original flat entrance doors and a decade-old desktop assessment
- Typical issue: The existing Type 1 FRA was generic, out of date and silent on the doors and external walls
- Typical instruction: Scope and commission a current assessment through a competent assessor, with Type 3 checks where compartmentation was uncertain
- What the client typically receives: A current, building-specific assessment, a prioritised action plan and a costed remedial programme
- How it is typically used: The action plan was folded into the planned maintenance budget and evidenced to leaseholders at the next Section 20 consultation
- Related services: Fire Door Inspections, Fire Compartmentation Surveys, Building Safety Act Compliance
Related articles and guidance
Fire safety in London residential blocks
A freeholder’s guide to duties and assessments.
View Fire safety in London residential blocksFire safety guide for Camden mansion blocks
Period block risks and how assessments address them.
View Fire safety guide for Camden mansion blocksCompartmentation vs passive fire protection
How the two relate and what each survey covers.
View Compartmentation vs passive fire protectionFire risk assessment costs in London
Typical fee ranges, the four FRA types, and what drives the bill.
View Fire risk assessment costs in LondonNot sure which assessment your building needs? Send the building information and we'll identify the right next step.
Send building informationPrimary guidance we work to
The statutory framework and official guidance behind fire risk assessment in London buildings.
- Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 — the responsible person's duty to make a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment
- Fire Safety Act 2021 — clarified that external walls fall within the building's fire risk assessment
- Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 — additional duties for responsible persons in multi-occupied residential buildings, applying from 23 January 2023
- Fire safety in purpose-built blocks of flats (GOV.UK) — the sector guidance that describes Type 1 to Type 4 fire risk assessments for blocks of flats
- A guide for persons with duties under fire safety legislation (GOV.UK) — the Government's explanation of fire safety duties in simple, non-legal language
Fire Risk Assessments (Type 1-4) FAQs
Do you carry out the statutory fire risk assessment yourselves?
No, and we are deliberate about that boundary. The statutory FRA under the Fire Safety Order must be carried out by a competent fire risk assessor, and that is who signs it. We scope, procure, brief and quality-assure as your client-side technical lead, and we confirm the assessor's competence and insurance before proceeding - the same discipline we apply to FRAEW and EWS1 sign-off.
What are Type 1, 2, 3 and 4 fire risk assessments?
Type 1 is non-destructive and covers common parts only - the usual baseline. Type 2 adds destructive sampling in common parts. Type 3 extends non-destructively into a sample of flats. Type 4 is destructive in both. The right Type depends on the building, its history and what previous assessments found - it is a scoping decision, not a menu choice.
When is a Type 4 justified?
Sparingly: typically where there is real reason to doubt compartmentation between flats and common parts - known construction defects, alterations history, or fire incidents - and the evidence cannot be obtained any other way. It is intrusive and needs careful access, making good and resident communication, which is exactly the coordination we provide.
How does this relate to FRAEW / PAS 9980?
The FRA addresses the building's fire safety arrangements overall; an FRAEW under PAS 9980 is a specific appraisal of external wall construction, usually triggered by the FRA or by lender requirements. The two must be consistent, which is why one technical lead across both - with the external wall work described on our FRAEW page - avoids contradictory conclusions.
Can you fix what the FRA finds?
We turn the action plan into specified, procured and contract-administered works - fire doors, compartmentation, fire-stopping - using the same delivery services we apply to major works. Assessment and remediation staying connected is the point of the structure.
Who is responsible in law for the FRA?
The responsible person under the Fire Safety Order (and, for higher-risk buildings, the accountable person regime adds duties under the Building Safety Act). We support those dutyholders; we do not replace them, and our records are written so they can evidence how competence and suitability were assured.
How often should a fire risk assessment be reviewed?
The Fire Safety Order requires the assessment to be kept up to date rather than fixing a statutory interval. In practice, London residential blocks review the assessment annually and re-assess every one to three years depending on risk, and immediately after a fire, significant building works or a material change such as cladding remediation or a change of use.
Are flat entrance doors and external walls included in the assessment?
Yes. The Fire Safety Act 2021 confirmed that the external walls and flat entrance doors of multi-occupied residential buildings fall within the assessment. For buildings over 11 metres, the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 also require quarterly checks of communal fire doors and annual best-endeavours checks of flat entrance doors, which we can coordinate alongside the assessment programme.
Who actions the findings once the report is issued?
The responsible person keeps the legal duty, but they rarely action a raw report alone. We translate the findings into a prioritised action plan, scope the remedial packages - doors, compartmentation, signage, detection - and, where instructed, procure and oversee the remedial works so each item can be closed out with evidence.
Do you support buildings other than blocks of flats?
Yes. The Fire Safety Order applies to virtually all non-domestic premises, and we scope the assessment to the use of the building. Alongside residential blocks we support offices, schools, community buildings and commercial premises across London, including mixed-use buildings where residential and commercial duties overlap.
Related services
FRAEW / PAS 9980
External wall fire appraisal under PAS 9980, scoped the same careful way.
View ServiceFire Compartmentation Surveys
The survey evidence behind Types 2-4 and action-plan works.
View ServiceFire Door Inspections
Door-by-door condition schedules feeding the FRA action plan.
View ServicePassive Fire Protection Surveys
Fire-stopping, cavity barriers and service penetrations.
View ServiceBuilding Safety Act Compliance
Accountable person duties on higher-risk buildings.
View ServiceSafety Case Report Support
Where FRA evidence feeds the safety case.
View ServiceFire risk assessment support across priority London areas
Hampstead
NW3 — Camden.
View Hampstead fire safetyBelsize Park
NW3 — Camden.
View Belsize Park fire safetyHighgate
N6 — Camden.
View Highgate fire safetySt John's Wood
NW8 — Westminster.
View St John's Wood fire safetyMarylebone
W1U — Westminster.
View Marylebone fire safetyKensington
W8 — Kensington and Chelsea.
View Kensington fire safetyChelsea
SW3 — Kensington and Chelsea.
View Chelsea fire safetySouth Kensington
SW7 — Kensington and Chelsea.
View South Kensington fire safetyRenewing or escalating an FRA in London? Call 020 7101 4590.
Enquire about Fire Risk Assessments (Type 1-4)
Tell us briefly about the building and what you need. Your enquiry goes directly to our chartered surveying team.
We respond to enquiries within one working day.
Prefer to talk it through first? Call 020 7101 4590 or email enquiries@hampsteadcharteredsurveyors.co.uk.
Typical fees: Fire Risk Assessments (Type 1-4) instructions in London typically start from £395 plus VAT; we confirm a fixed fee after scoping the building and the brief.
Fire risk assessments in Central London
Regional guidance for Central London building stock, client decisions and delivery constraints.
Fire risk assessments in Central London
A fire risk assessment identifies fire hazards, people at risk and the adequacy of precautions for premises within the Fire Safety Order's scope. Central London assessments must reflect actual use, occupation, escape arrangements, mixed-use interfaces and management rather than relying on a building type label.
View Fire risk assessments Central London guidanceDedicated Central London service guides
Compare 59 dedicated service guides and 16 core neighbourhoods.
View the Central London hubFire Risk Assessment London (Type 1–4 FRA): Deliverables & Transparent Fee Matrix
Every fire risk assessment london (type 1–4 fra) instruction is confirmed by a fixed written fee proposal once the property address, tenure and scope are reviewed. Starting fees begin from £595 plus VAT; all fee guides below are exclusive of VAT (plus VAT).
| Scope / Property Band | Deliverables & Technical Scope | Typical Turnaround | Transparent Fee Guide (Excl. VAT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Band A — Standard / Single-Property Fire Risk Assessment London (Type 1–4 FRA) | Pre-instruction document review, targeted site inspection or desktop appraisal, and structured RICS-aligned report. | 3–5 working days from inspection | From £595 plus VAT (Type 1 common-parts Fire Risk Assessment for a small converted London block) |
| Band B — Comprehensive Fire Risk Assessment London (Type 1–4 FRA) Instruction | Full site inspection, photographic defect/evidence schedule, regulatory analysis and prioritised cost/action plan. | 5–8 working days from site access | From £1,150 plus VAT (Type 1 or Type 3 FRA for a purpose-built mansion block or commercial premises) |
| Band C — Complex, Heritage or Multi-Unit Fire Risk Assessment London (Type 1–4 FRA) | Listed-building, higher-risk, multi-unit or portfolio instruction with senior director review and adviser coordination. | 7–12 working days (or agreed milestone) | From £2,250 plus VAT (Type 2 or Type 4 intrusive FRA coordination & BS 8674 action plan) |