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Fire risk assessment; What landlords need to know in 2025
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May 4, 2025
Fire risk assessment means more than just paperwork for landlords. It's a legal requirement that protects lives and safeguards your property investment. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, commonly known as the FSO, makes it mandatory for landlords to perform regular fire risk assessments, especially when you have properties with communal areas. A building owner learned this the hard way in October 2021. They were found guilty of breaching the FSO because they didn't conduct a fire risk assessment for a flat above a shop.
The year 2025 will bring new fire safety regulations and laws, so knowing your responsibilities is more significant than ever. The Fire Safety Act 2021 has made things clearer. Your fire risk assessments must include external walls, flat entrance doors and the building's structure. On top of that, if your property houses five or more tenants, you need written documentation of your assessment. This piece will walk you through everything in fire risk assessment. You'll find practical checklists and learn about the fire safety requirements every landlord should know for 2025.
What is a Fire Risk Assessment and Why It Matters
"Fire safety compliance in 2025 involves conducting regular fire risk assessments, maintaining fire detection and alarm systems, and ensuring clear evacuation routes." — Business Watch Group, UK fire safety consultancy and compliance experts
Fire risk assessment is the life-blood of fire safety planning for rental properties. It gives you a well-laid-out way to spot potential fire hazards, figure out the fire safety risks to people, and decide what safety measures you need.
Definition and Purpose
Fire risk assessment does more than just tick compliance boxes. It helps you understand dangers and put effective fire precautions in place. A complete assessment looks at your property and everything that happens there. It shows how likely fires are to start and cause harm. You'll spot fire hazards - things that could start a fire like ignition sources or materials that burn easily. The goal is to lower risks and set up the right safety measures.
Your assessment needs to look at emergency routes, exits, fire alarm systems, firefighting equipment, and evacuation plans. You also need to think about vulnerable tenants like older people, children, or those with disabilities.
How It Protects Tenants and Property
A good fire risk assessment helps protect both people and property. You can spot and fix problems before they turn into serious issues.
Fires can destroy properties in minutes and get pricey to repair, not to mention lost rental income. On top of that, it puts everyone at risk, especially children, older people, and those with disabilities. A full picture helps make sure you have the right protection for all occupants.
The assessment helps you create an emergency evacuation plan that could save lives during a fire. This includes clear escape routes, meeting points, and ways to contact emergency services. Regular checks also keep you compliant with fire safety law, protecting you from big fines or jail time.
Connection to Fire Safety UK Standards
UK fire safety regulations are strict. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, updated by the Fire Safety Act 2021, requires fire risk assessments for almost all non-domestic premises and certain domestic properties with shared areas.
The law says the "Responsible Person" - usually the employer, owner, landlord, or managing agent - must do these assessments and review them regularly. Since October 2023, the Building Safety Act 2022 says all fire risk assessments need to be written down, no matter how many employees you have or your licencing status.
The National Residential Landlord Association suggests checking your assessment every two years and updating it every four. Buildings that are older or have more than three floors need yearly reviews and updates every three years.
UK standards say your fire risk assessment should follow these steps:
Identify fire hazards
Identify people at risk
Evaluate, remove, or reduce risks
Record findings and prepare an emergency plan
Review and update regularly
Single private dwellings don't legally need a fire risk assessment, but it's smart to do one anyway. Note that if you don't meet your legal duties to keep people safe and a fire happens, you could face big fines or jail time.
Who Needs a Fire Risk Assessment in 2025?
Landlords must know which properties need a fire risk assessment to meet their legal obligations in 2025. The FSO sets clear requirements for different property types. Many landlords still aren't sure if these regulations apply to their property.
HMOs and Shared Housing
Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) need extra fire safety measures because of their layout and how people use them. All licenced HMOs must have a fire risk assessment. The law states that a 'responsible person' must assess and review fire safety. This person could be the landlord, licence holder, or an agent who manages everything.
Fire safety rules for HMOs are much stricter than regular rentals because of shared spaces and more people moving around. These rules apply to:
Buildings with two or more residential units
Properties with multiple tenants sharing communal living spaces
Houses where rooms are individually let
The British Standards Institute has updated its standard (BS 9792:2025) to help professionals assess fire risks in residential buildings, including HMOs. A qualified fire risk assessor must write and conduct these assessments. They need to assess hazards, tenant vulnerability, escape routes, and equipment. The assessment needs a yearly review or whenever the property or its occupancy changes.
Flats with Communal Areas
The FSO covers common parts of buildings that have two or more domestic premises. This means shared corridors, stairwells, and entrance halls that residents use to leave the building.
The building's responsible person must prevent fires in these shared areas and keep escape routes safe. This could be a landlord, managing agent, or building owner. The Fire Safety Act 2021 made it clear that external walls, flat entrance doors, and building structure are part of the FSO. These elements must be factored in during assessments.
Individual flats don't usually fall under this law. However, flat entrance doors are part of the common areas since they protect escape routes. Shared areas need regular fire risk assessments that reflect any changes in how people use the property.
Guest Houses and Holiday Lets
Fire safety laws apply to properties where people pay to stay temporarily. This covers:
Bed and breakfasts and guest houses
Self-catering holiday accommodation
Holiday chalets, caravans, and camping pods
Glamping accommodation, shepherds' huts, and tree houses
Government guidance says a "small premises" has simple layouts, limited fire risks, and few guest bedrooms for short-term stays. These properties include single buildings with ground floor only, or ground and first floor, that sleep up to 10 guests.
The FSO controls fire safety in all English premises that offer paid accommodation. You must have a recorded Fire Risk Assessment for your property, even if you rent out a room just once.
Unoccupied Properties
In stark comparison to this, empty buildings still need fire risk assessments. Fire safety laws don't make exceptions for vacant properties because they must protect people nearby. Empty buildings have the same legal requirements as occupied ones. The current owner remains responsible until someone else takes over.
Empty properties often suffer fire damage. The UK sees about 60 fires daily in or next to vacant properties. Empty buildings face unique risks. These include pest problems that can damage wiring and arson attacks, which happen more often in empty buildings.
Owners should get a full picture of potential serious fire safety risks in empty properties. The assessment needs to explore the building's construction, fire risks, how fires might spread, and if fire protection measures work. Property owners should tell their local Fire Prevention Officer about empty buildings, especially those with historical value.
The Fire Risk Assessment Must Cover the Following Steps
A well-laid-out methodology helps identify and address all potential dangers when conducting a full fire risk assessment. UK government's five-step approach guides landlords to meet fire safety legislation requirements. This systematic process protects tenants and property while fulfilling legal obligations.
1. Identify Fire Hazards
The first step needs a complete inspection of your premises to spot potential fire hazards. You should look for three elements: ignition sources, fuel sources, and oxygen. Ignition sources consist of electrical equipment, heaters, cooking appliances, and signs of smoking. Fuel sources have furniture, waste materials, and other combustible items stored on the premises. Look at obvious hazards and hidden risks like contractors' equipment, arson opportunities, and housekeeping practises. This step creates the foundation of your assessment, making thoroughness vital.
2. Identify People at Risk
Next comes assessing who might face harm during a fire. Note that fire puts everyone at risk, but some people need extra attention. Focus on:
Young children, elderly residents, and people with disabilities
Visitors who don't know the premises
People working alone or in isolated areas
Those who might be sleeping on the premises
Your assessment should factor in the property's occupancy numbers and people's ability to respond during emergencies. This covers temporary or permanent disabilities and frailties that could affect evacuation.
3. Evaluate, Remove or Reduce Risks
The next step involves analysing identified risks and taking steps to minimise them. Your review should cover:
Making sure escape routes and emergency exits are adequate
Planning and marking escape routes clearly
Installing proper fire detection and alarm systems
Keeping fuel and ignition sources apart
Maintaining good housekeeping to avoid combustible material buildup
Fire hazards change over time, so this step needs proactive attention. Equipment upgrades or new materials can create fresh risks.
4. Record Findings and Prepare an Emergency Plan
Your assessment should lead to documented findings and an emergency plan. Documentation is legally required for properties with five or more occupants. The emergency plan needs:
Details of identified risks and safety measures
Steps to follow during a fire emergency
Designated responsibilities (who calls emergency services)
Evacuation procedures and assembly points
Make sure all occupants get proper fire safety training. This covers evacuation drills and knowing where emergency equipment is located. The plan should stay clear, available, and under regular review with all tenants.
5. Review and Update Regularly
Fire risk assessments end up being dynamic documents that evolve with your property. The FSO states that assessments need "review by the responsible person regularly to keep it up to date". Though law doesn't define "regularly," experts suggest:
Annual reviews for standard properties
More frequent reviews for older buildings or those over three storeys
Immediate review after major building changes
Updates after renovations, fires, near-misses, or changes in occupancy
Regular reviews keep your fire safety measures effective as circumstances change. They also show due diligence in maintaining compliance with fire safety legislation, protecting your tenants and legal position.
Fire Safety Equipment Every Landlord Must Provide
Fire safety equipment serves as your first defence against fire hazards in rental properties. The right installation and upkeep of these devices does more than meet legal requirements - it saves lives during emergencies.
Smoke Alarms and Heat Detectors
Landlords must install at least one smoke alarm on each storey of their property where there is a room used as living accommodation. This rule has applied to private rentals since 2015. The London Fire Brigade strongly suggests adding a heat detector in the kitchen and smoke alarms in the lounge and hallway to warn residents early.
Scottish rules are tougher - all homes must have one smoke alarm in the living room, one in every hallway or landing, and one heat alarm in the kitchen. These alarms must connect to each other, so when one goes off, they all sound. Northern Ireland followed suit in 2024. They now require smoke alarms in living areas and circulation spaces, plus heat alarms in kitchens.
Rules don't specify whether alarms should connect to mains power or use batteries. Sealed-for-life battery alarms work better than those with replaceable batteries. Landlords need to check all alarms work when new tenants move in and fix or replace faulty ones once notified.
Fire Extinguishers and Blankets
Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) must have at least one extinguisher on each floor. Other rental properties don't legally need them, but having extinguishers shows good practise.
Every kitchen should have a fire blanket. HMOs must provide one in each shared kitchen. These blankets should meet BS 6575 standards, be 'light duty' type, and mount on walls about 1.5m high - closer to exits than cooking areas.
Powder extinguishers no longer suit indoor use. Foam or water mist extinguishers make better choices. All fire extinguishers need yearly maintenance following BS 5306-3 standards.
Emergency Lighting and Signage
Power failures make emergency lighting vital by lighting up escape routes. Buildings taller than two stories need this most. Single homes up to six stories might need emergency lighting if escape routes are complex without good borrowed light.
HMOs with 5 or more people must have emergency lighting in shared spaces like corridors, stairs, kitchens, and living areas. The system should light up for at least three hours and follow BS 5266 standards.
A qualified electrician should test emergency lighting yearly and provide a compliance certificate. Monthly or quarterly checks help ensure everything works properly.
Fire Doors and Escape Routes
Fire doors help contain fires and stop heat and smoke from spreading. All flat front doors and those on corridors and staircases must self-close. Never wedge these doors open - it makes them useless.
HMOs legally require fire doors. Other properties benefit from fire doors in risky areas like kitchens or rooms full of electrical devices. These doors should block smoke and fire for at least 30 minutes (FD30) and be fitted with smoke seals.
Keep escape routes clear always. Tenants need access to escape routes and should understand why these paths must stay clutter-free. Buildings with flats need proper fire protection between units, corridors, and escape routes to prevent fires from spreading quickly.
Regular equipment checks are key parts of a complete fire risk assessment. These checks help landlords meet legal duties while protecting their tenants and property.
Landlord Fire Risk Assessment Checklist for 2025
Property-specific fire safety checklists help landlords meet legal requirements and provide detailed safety coverage. These practical guides will give you the confidence to assess your property and keep your tenants safe.
Checklist for HMOs
HMOs need stricter fire safety measures. Your assessment should verify:
Written fire risk assessment done by a competent person with yearly reviews
FD30-rated fire doors (30-minute fire resistance) with self-closing mechanisms and intumescent strips
Interlinked smoke alarm system installed—Grade D LD2 for two-story HMOs or Grade A for three-story or larger properties
Heat detectors in all kitchen areas
Fire extinguishers on each floor and fire blankets in all kitchens
Emergency lighting in all stairways and hallways
Clear, unobstructed escape routes
Fire safety instructions displayed in communal areas
The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 requires quarterly checks of all communal fire doors. Buildings over 11 metres need yearly checks on flat entrance doors. You should give tenants clear fire safety advice and remind them to keep fire doors shut.
Checklist for Single Lets and Flats
Single occupancy properties and individual flats need these safety measures:
Smoke alarms on every floor with living accommodation
Carbon monoxide alarms where solid fuel-burning appliances exist
Alarm testing at the start of each tenancy
Electrical installation checks every five years by qualified personnel
Yearly gas safety checks with certificates for tenants
Fire-safe furniture and furnishings
Clear escape routes that tenants know about
Fire safety assessment of external walls and flat entrance doors
Make sure electrical safety standards meet requirements through regular inspections. Your heating systems need yearly maintenance from qualified professionals. Regular smoke and carbon monoxide alarm checks protect everyone.
Checklist for Guest Houses and Short Lets
Paying guest accommodation and holiday lets require these safety measures:
Fire detection system that meets BS 5839-6 standards
Emergency escape lighting for properties over two stories
Fire blankets and suitable fire extinguishers
Clear emergency fire escape plan with guest instructions
Identified and controlled fire hazards
Regular testing of all fire safety equipment
Records of all checks and maintenance
Emergency procedures in guest materials
Small paying guest accommodations need assessment of layout, fire hazards, and people at risk. Keep your assessment ready for local fire service inspection and review it often.
Whatever type of property you have, keep detailed records of assessments, checks, and actions. These documents prove your compliance with fire safety laws and show your steadfast dedication to keeping tenants and guests safe.
Common Mistakes Landlords Make and How to Avoid Them
"Failure to comply can lead to hefty fines, legal action, and, more importantly, risk to human life." — Business Watch Group, UK fire safety consultancy and compliance experts
Fire safety management has several blind spots that even careful landlords miss sometimes. These oversights can result in serious legal consequences, big fines, or force you to close your property. You can improve your fire safety compliance and protect your tenants better when you know these common pitfalls.
Not Updating Assessments After Changes
Most landlords complete their original fire risk assessment but don't review it regularly enough. Your fire risk assessment needs regular reviews and updates whenever you make substantial changes to the property or how it's used. You should review your assessment when you make structural changes, have a fire or close call, change stock levels substantially, or start storing chemicals or dangerous substances.
Regular properties need assessment reviews every two years with updates every four years. Buildings that are older or have more than three stories need yearly reviews and updates every three years. You could end up facing penalties as the responsible person if you don't keep your assessment current with the FSO.
Ignoring Communal Areas
Shared spaces don't get enough attention, and this happens way too often. The Fire Safety Act 2021 makes it clear that external walls, flat entrance doors, and the building structure fall under the FSO. Communal living spaces like hallways, staircases, and landings are crucial escape routes in emergencies.
The responsible person - usually you as the landlord, managing agent, or building owner - must prevent fires in these communal areas and keep escape routes safe. You need to check that fire doors work properly and aren't propped open, keep passages clear, and inspect shared facilities regularly.
Failing to Document Actions Taken
Documentation is where many landlords don't deal very well with their responsibilities. You must keep detailed records of hazards you find, risks you assess, and safety measures you put in place. This isn't optional - you need these records to show you're following legal requirements.
The FSO says you must have your completed fire risk assessment ready for inspection. Your records should show when reviews happened, who did the assessments, and what actions you took to fix any risks they found. You might face legal consequences if you can't prove compliance during inspections or after incidents because you don't have proper documentation.
These common mistakes are easy to avoid. When you do, you'll meet your legal obligations and create a safer environment for your tenants while protecting your investment property better.
When and How Often to Review Your Fire Risk Assessment
Your fire risk assessment needs regular reviews. This legal requirement comes from the FSO. A current assessment helps you comply with fire safety laws and keeps your tenants safe when circumstances change.
Annual Reviews
Yearly fire risk assessment reviews benefit most properties. This practise helps spot gradual changes you might miss otherwise. Standard rental properties need annual assessment reviews and completely new assessments every five years. Properties that we call "higher risk" need more frequent reviews - usually every six to twelve months. Care homes, buildings with sleeping areas, and complex layouts fall into this category.
Small changes add up over the year and can affect fire safety by a lot. Simple things like moving furniture or changing staff numbers could affect how people escape during emergencies. A consistent yearly review schedule shows you take fire safety standards seriously.
After Renovations or Incidents
Some events need immediate reassessment instead of waiting for scheduled reviews. These include:
Fire incidents or near misses
Major renovations or structural changes
New equipment or machinery installations
New hazardous materials or substances
Unplanned events like patterns of false alarms or enforcement actions also need quick reassessment. Renovations might change your building's layout or how it's used. This could affect existing fire escape routes. Your current assessment might not match reality after such changes. This puts your tenants at risk and threatens your legal compliance.
Changes in Occupancy or Layout
Your property's fire risk profile changes when occupancy or physical setup changes. You should review your assessment after:
Big changes in occupancy rates
Different working patterns or tenant vulnerability
Converting to open-plan layouts or adding mezzanine floors
More storage areas or materials
The FSO clearly states that you must review assessments when "there has been a significant change in the matters to which it relates". This covers changes to premises, technical measures, organisation, or work procedures. Many landlords miss this requirement. They focus on scheduled reviews but ignore important changes that happen in between.
Elements of Fire Risk Assessment Every Landlord Must Know
Taking a close look at your property's physical features is vital to get a detailed fire risk assessment. You need to spot potential hazards before they turn into dangerous situations by understanding these key elements.
Building Layout and Structure
Your rental property's physical setup will affect its fire safety directly. Your assessment should look at how the premises are built, ways fire could spread, and whether fire protection measures are suitable. Fire might spread between floors or across different sections in multi-storey buildings. Clear escape routes must stay available - this is non-negotiable. High-rise properties need special attention with pressurised stairwells and fire resistant materials. Buildings taller than 11 metres need floor plans that show where firefighting equipment is located. These plans must go to local fire services.
Sources of Ignition and Fuel
Finding potential fire triggers means you need to know both what starts fires and what helps them burn. Common fire starters include smoking materials, open flames, electrical equipment, cooking appliances, heating systems, and lighting fixtures. We checked for bad wiring, overloaded sockets, and poorly managed appliances first. Fuel sources include furniture, textiles, paper items, flammable liquids, piled-up waste, and wall or ceiling coverings. These elements interact in specific ways - fires need three things: something to start them, fuel, and oxygen. Keeping potential fire starters away from fuel materials is one of the most basic ways to prevent fires.
Conclusion
Fire risk assessments are not just another checkbox for landlords - they're a core responsibility. This piece explores how fire safety compliance will affect property owners in 2025 and beyond. These assessments protect your tenants and investment while meeting legal requirements under the FSO.
Neglecting fire safety assessments can have devastating consequences. Property owners who fail to follow regulations face massive fines, prosecution, and forced closures. Most importantly, people's lives are at stake - a responsibility that demands serious attention.
Each property type needs its own safety approach. HMOs need detailed measures like fire doors and interlinked alarm systems. Single lets require proper detection equipment and clear escape routes. Guest houses and holiday lets must follow specific standards based on how they're used.
Your fire safety system needs regular reviews to work well. Annual checks usually provide enough protection. You'll need extra reviews after renovations, incidents, or when occupants change. This hands-on approach shows you're taking your duties seriously and staying current with new laws.
Good documentation of all fire safety measures protects both you and your tenants. A resilient safety framework emerges when you keep detailed records of assessments, equipment checks, and maintenance work.
Fire safety technology keeps evolving, but the simple principles stay the same. Spotting hazards, protecting vulnerable people, and keeping escape routes clear are the foundations of good fire risk management.
Proper fire safety measures will cost nowhere near as much as cleaning up after a serious fire. You'll sleep better knowing you've done everything possible to protect your property and the people who live there.
Key Takeaways
Fire risk assessments are legally mandatory for landlords in 2025, with updated regulations requiring comprehensive documentation and regular reviews to protect tenants and property investments.
• All HMOs, flats with communal areas, and guest houses must have written fire risk assessments conducted by competent persons and reviewed annually.
• The five-step assessment process includes identifying hazards, assessing people at risk, evaluating risks, documenting findings, and regular reviews.
• Essential safety equipment includes interlinked smoke alarms on every floor, fire doors with self-closing mechanisms, and emergency lighting in communal areas.
• Fire risk assessments must be updated immediately after renovations, incidents, or changes in occupancy—not just during scheduled annual reviews.
• Failing to comply can result in hefty fines, prosecution, property closure, and most critically, puts tenant lives at serious risk.
The Fire Safety Act 2021 has expanded requirements to include external walls and flat entrance doors, making comprehensive assessments more crucial than ever. Proper documentation and regular maintenance of safety equipment demonstrate due diligence whilst creating safer living environments for all tenants.
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