Fire Risk Assessments for Blocks of Flats
Updated September 2026 · Uses Home Office fire safety audit data for April 2025 to March 2026
Short answer: every block of flats with shared parts needs a written fire risk assessment, from a two-flat conversion to a tower. The responsible person is usually the freeholder, the residents’ management company or the managing agent. For most blocks a Type 1 assessment of the common parts is enough, typically £150 to £400 for small and medium blocks. It matters more than people think: in the last year, around half of the purpose-built blocks that fire services audited were found unsatisfactory.
Blocks of flats have had more new fire safety law since 2021 than any other type of building. The Fire Safety Act, the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 and the Building Safety Act all added duties, and most of them depend on how tall the building is. Meanwhile, a lot of blocks are run by volunteer directors of a residents’ company, or by a freeholder who has never read the lease.
This guide sets out what applies to your block, what fire services are actually finding, and what leaseholders and directors are asking. We have used the latest official statistics, real enforcement cases and posts from leasehold forums, with links throughout.
Around half of audited blocks fail their fire safety audit
Fire and rescue services in England carried out 50,195 fire safety audits in the year to March 2026. Across all premises, 60% were rated satisfactory. Purpose-built blocks of flats did noticeably worse, whatever their height.
Source: Home Office, Fire prevention and protection statistics, England, April 2025 to March 2026. Audits are often targeted at higher-risk premises, so these are not a random sample of all blocks.
Two things stand out. Low-rise blocks, which get far less attention than towers, fail almost as often. And the same year saw 1,896 enforcement notices and 1,224 prohibition notices across all premises types, up 7% and 27% on the year before.
What the law requires, by building height
The fire risk assessment itself applies to every block. On top of that, the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 and the Building Safety Act 2022 add duties at 11 metres and at 18 metres (or seven storeys).
| Your block | What you must do |
|---|---|
| Any building with two or more flats | Have a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment of the common parts, recorded in full in writing. It now explicitly covers the structure, external walls (including windows and balconies) and flat entrance doors. Give residents fire safety instructions, including how to report a fire, and information about why fire doors matter. Share the key findings, the fire safety measures and the responsible person’s name and UK address with residents. Only use a competent person to help with the assessment. |
| Over 11 metres (roughly 4 storeys and up) | All of the above, plus quarterly checks of all fire doors in the common parts, including self-closers, and annual checks of all flat entrance doors on a best endeavours basis. |
| 18 metres or 7 storeys and up | All of the above, plus: electronic floor plans and a building plan to the fire service, information on the external wall system, a secure information box, wayfinding signage visible in smoke, and monthly checks of firefighting lifts and equipment, with faults reported to the fire service. |
| Higher-risk buildings (18m or 7 storeys, 2+ residential units) | Also regulated by the Building Safety Regulator: the building must be registered, with a named principal accountable person, key building information, a safety case report and a resident engagement strategy. |
England. Sources: Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 fact sheets, Fire Safety Act 2021, Building Safety Act section 156 guidance, accountable persons guidance.
In Wales, the Fire Safety Act and the written-record rule apply, but the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 do not. The Building Safety (Wales) Act 2026 has been passed and will bring its own regime for blocks of every size, including an annual fire risk assessment review, but it is not in force yet.
Type 1, 2, 3 or 4: which one does your block need?
The government’s guide to fire safety in purpose-built blocks of flats sets out four types of assessment. The type changes the price and the disruption far more than the size of the block does.
External walls are a separate question. If the fire risk assessment finds a reason for concern about cladding, balconies or insulation, it may recommend a specialist fire risk appraisal of the external wall (FRAEW) under PAS 9980, which was updated in 2026. That is a different, more specialist piece of work, not part of a standard fire risk assessment.
What assessments of blocks usually find
- Flat entrance doors that don’t hold back fire. Missing smoke seals, a closer removed or disconnected, a letterbox or cat flap cut into a fire door, or a leaseholder’s replacement door with no fire rating. These are now explicitly within the Fire Safety Order.
- Communal fire doors wedged open. Often by residents moving furniture or by cleaners, then left that way.
- Holes in the compartment walls. Cables, pipes and data runs pushed through walls, ceilings and riser cupboards without fire stopping, usually by contractors years after the block was built.
- Alterations inside flats. Open-plan conversions that remove a protected hallway, so the escape route from a flat now runs through the kitchen.
- Stored items in the common parts. Bikes, prams, bins and mobility scooters charging in corridors and stairwells.
- A stay-put policy nobody knows about. Residents in blocks designed for stay put often don’t know what it means or whether it still applies to their building.
What leaseholders and directors keep asking
These are real posts from leasehold and fire safety forums, linked so you can read the full threads.
“I live in a block of freehold flats and we have 5 directors in the Freehold Ltd.”
Leaseholder in a resident-owned block, MoneySavingExpert forum, August 2021
Two years earlier, their fire risk assessment had flagged non-compliant fire doors as high priority. The directors decided not to act because of the cost, and because, in the poster’s words, “they like their current doors!” This is the most common trap in small blocks. When residents own the freehold company, that company is the responsible person, and the directors are the people a fire service will want to speak to. A high-priority action that is recorded and then ignored is worse than not knowing.
“I own and live in the ground floor flat of a converted 1930s house.”
Owner of one of two flats in a converted house, Safelincs Fire Safety Forum, June 2024
They wanted to know if a two-flat house with a shared hallway needs a fire risk assessment. It does. With no management company, both freeholders are jointly the responsible person. Small conversions are where the duty is most often missed, and also where an assessment is quickest and cheapest.
“I have just had a fire door check on my property front door and was told it would need a seal. Routing the door frame was mentioned.”
Leaseholder in a two-storey block built in 1983, MoneySavingExpert forum, March 2025
A seal routed into an existing door is a fraction of the cost of the “around £2,000” others in the thread were quoted for a new door and frame. Before anyone agrees to replacement, check two things: whether the door can be upgraded, and who owns it under the lease.
A fourth pattern came up repeatedly: flat sales held up because a managing agent wouldn’t release the fire risk assessment to the buyer’s solicitor. Since October 2023, residents in any building with two or more flats are entitled to the key information from it, so refusing is harder to justify.
Who pays for the assessment, and for the fire doors
- The assessment: commissioned by the responsible person, usually the freeholder, the residents’ management company or the managing agent acting for them. The cost is normally recovered through the service charge, if the lease allows it.
- Flat entrance doors: it depends on the lease. In many leases the front door belongs to the flat, so the leaseholder pays. In others it is part of the structure the freeholder maintains. Read the lease before arguing about the bill.
- Communal works: fire doors, alarms and fire stopping in the common parts usually go through the service charge. If any leaseholder’s share of a job will be more than £250, the landlord has to run a Section 20 consultation first.
- Historic building safety defects: in buildings of 11 metres or five storeys and up, the Building Safety Act limits what qualifying leaseholders can be charged for historic safety defects, and cladding costs are generally covered separately. Take specific advice if this applies to your block.
How much a fire risk assessment for a block of flats costs
From our survey of 20 published UK price lists, the median price for a communal-area assessment was £195 including VAT. Typical Type 1 ranges:
Very few assessors publish prices for large blocks, because the evacuation strategy, the number of risers and the age of the building matter more than the flat count. See the full breakdown in our fire risk assessment cost guide.
The prosecution every freeholder should read
In 2021, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service prosecuted a fire risk assessment company and its director over a three-storey block in Southampton. The assessment had not looked in ceiling voids or riser cupboards, and missed wiring passing through compartment walls with no fire stopping. The managing agent that relied on it was fined as well.
In 2025, the same assessor pleaded guilty again, this time over a high-rise block in Plymouth, alongside the residents’ management company and one of its directors.
The lesson isn’t that assessments are worthless. It is that the law has always put the duty on the responsible person, and since October 2023 it says plainly that anyone helping with the assessment must be competent. Before you appoint an assessor:
- Ask whether they are on a third-party certification scheme or professional register for fire risk assessors, and check it yourself on the scheme’s website.
- Ask what they will open, look into and sample. A Type 1 still means looking in accessible risers and cupboards.
- Ask how many blocks of your height and age they have assessed.
- Check they carry professional indemnity insurance.
Recent cases involving blocks of flats
What a typical block of flats assessment looks like
Example
The property: a 1970s three-storey purpose-built block of nine flats with one staircase, run by a residents’ freehold company.
The visit: one to two hours, covering the common parts only: the stair and landings, meter cupboards, bin store, and the flat entrance doors seen from the outside.
What usually comes up: bikes and a pram stored under the stairs, a meter cupboard door that no longer shuts, two flat entrance doors without a working self-closer, and fire instructions in the entrance hall that nobody has reviewed in years. The key findings then have to be shared with residents in plain English.
Cost: around £200 to £400 for a purpose-built block like this.
An illustrative example based on the guidance and prices on this page. Not a real customer or property.
Fire risk assessments for flats: quick answers
Does a block of flats need a fire risk assessment?
Yes. Any building with two or more flats and shared parts, such as a hallway or stairs, needs a written fire risk assessment under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. That includes small converted houses.
Who is responsible for the fire risk assessment in a block of flats?
The responsible person, usually the freeholder, the residents’ management or right to manage company, or the managing agent acting for them. In a small conversion with no management company, the freeholders are jointly responsible.
How often should a fire risk assessment for flats be reviewed?
There is no fixed interval in England, but it must be reviewed regularly and after any significant change. Most blocks review annually. Once the Building Safety (Wales) Act 2026 is in force, Welsh blocks will need an annual review.
Do I need a Type 3 fire risk assessment?
Usually not. A Type 1 is enough for most purpose-built blocks. A Type 3, which includes looking inside a sample of flats, is useful if flats have been altered, if there is doubt about the stay-put strategy, or if a Type 1 recommends it.
Are flat front doors covered by the fire risk assessment?
Yes. Since the Fire Safety Act 2021, flat entrance doors are explicitly within the Fire Safety Order. In buildings over 11 metres, they must also be checked annually on a best endeavours basis.
Can leaseholders see the fire risk assessment?
Since October 2023, the responsible person must give residents of buildings with two or more flats the key information from it, including the risks identified and the fire safety measures in place, in a format they can easily understand.
How much does a fire risk assessment for a block of flats cost?
Typically £150 to £300 for a small conversion and £200 to £400 for a purpose-built block of up to four storeys. Larger blocks and Type 3 or 4 assessments are quoted individually.
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