Fire risk assessments for blocks of flats from £99

The assessment covers the communal parts — entrance halls, stairwells, corridors, bin and bike stores, plant rooms, risers, roof spaces and external escape routes. Individual flats behind their own front door are generally out of scope, but the flat entrance doors themselves are firmly in scope because they form part of the compartmentation protecting the escape route.

Choosing the right type matters. Most blocks need a Type 1; a Type 3 or 4 is usually triggered by suspected construction defects, a history of fire spread, or lender and insurer requirements.

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 places the duty on whoever has control of the common parts, usually the freeholder or their appointed managing agent. The Fire Safety Act 2021 clarified that this duty explicitly extends to the structure, external walls (including cladding and balconies) and flat entrance doors, closing an ambiguity that had previously let some buildings treat those elements as out of scope. Getting the responsible person wrong — assuming, for example, that an RTM company has no duty because a managing agent is instructed — is one of the most common governance failures we see, and it does not protect the freeholder from enforcement action.

In relevant residential buildings with a top storey more than 11 metres above ground, check communal fire doors at least every three months and use best endeavours to check flat entrance doors at least every 12 months. Resident information applies at all heights within scope. Wayfinding signage, building plans and a secure information box belong to the separate high-rise tier: at least 18 metres or at least seven storeys. A single FRA visit does not discharge the recurring duties.

Getting the evacuation strategy right is the single most consequential judgement in a block assessment. Where compartmentation is compromised, a stay-put policy may no longer be safe and an interim measure such as a common alarm or waking watch may be required. We say clearly which strategy the building supports and what would need to change to restore stay-put.

The most frequent findings in London blocks are fire doors that no longer close and latch correctly, self-closers removed by residents for convenience, communal storage of bikes, mobility scooters and rubbish in stairwells and lobbies, and emergency lighting that has never been tested since installation. On older stock we also commonly find that a fire risk assessment exists but has not been updated since a change of use, an extension, or works to the external wall — which means it no longer reflects the building as it actually stands.

A Type 1 assessment on a typical low or mid-rise block can usually be booked within a few working days and completed on site in one to three hours depending on the number of units and the extent of the communal areas. Type 3 and Type 4 assessments, which involve sampling or inspecting individual flats, take longer to arrange because they require coordinated access with leaseholders and tenants, and are typically scheduled over one or more visits. The written report follows within 24 hours of the final site visit in all cases.

Price depends on the number of units, the number of staircases and cores, whether the building has commercial units at ground floor, the extent of plant and storage areas, and which Type of assessment is required. A Type 1 on a small purpose-built block of eight flats with a single core is priced very differently to a Type 3 assessment on a 200-unit development with multiple cores and basement parking. We quote a fixed price once we understand the building's layout and unit count.

Managing agents get the most useful report when they can supply the building's fire strategy or previous fire risk assessment, any recent works records (particularly to cladding, balconies or communal doors), and access arrangements for plant rooms, risers and locked cores. Where a Type 3 or Type 4 assessment requires access to individual flats, giving leaseholders reasonable notice avoids the visit being delayed or incomplete.

You receive a PAS 79 report covering the communal areas, a clear statement of the evacuation strategy the building currently supports, and a prioritised action plan. This is the document you use to demonstrate compliance to enforcement officers, to support service charge budgeting for remedial works, and to share with leaseholders and residents in a form that explains findings without causing unnecessary alarm.