The short answer
A suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment is a legal requirement for virtually every non-domestic building in England and Wales. There is no statutory review interval — the assessment must be kept up to date, and reviewed whenever there is reason to suspect it is no longer valid or the premises have changed significantly.
Fire safety is the compliance area where the gap between what people believe and what the law says is widest. The most common belief — that a fire risk assessment must be redone annually — appears nowhere in the legislation. What the law requires is that the assessment remains valid, which is a higher bar than an annual tick.
What is required, and where it comes from
- Legal requirement
Carry out and keep up to date a fire risk assessment covering the premises and everyone who might be affected.
Source: Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, Article 9
Since the Fire Safety Act 2021 this expressly includes the structure, external walls and flat entrance doors of multi-occupied residential buildings.
- Legal requirement
Record the significant findings. All premises with five or more employees must keep a written record; in practice a written assessment is expected everywhere.
Source: Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, Article 9(7)
- Legal requirement
Review the assessment where there is reason to suspect it is no longer valid, or if there has been a significant change.
Source: Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, Article 9(3)
This is the actual trigger. It is event-driven, not calendar-driven.
- Typical practice
Most competent providers review annually and reassess fully every three to five years, or sooner on change.
Source: Common industry practice
Widely done, sensible, and frequently mistaken for a legal requirement. It is not one.
- Risk-based
Complex, high-risk or sleeping-accommodation premises justify more frequent review than a small low-risk office.
Source: Risk-proportionate approach, HM Government fire safety guidance
What proves it was done
Compliance is demonstrated with records, not intentions. These are the documents an enforcing authority, an insurer or a purchaser’s solicitor will ask for.
- The written fire risk assessment, dated and attributable to a named assessor
- A record of the significant findings and the action plan arising from them
- Evidence that actions were closed out, not merely listed
- Review records showing the assessment was reconsidered after changes
- Supporting logs: alarm tests, emergency lighting, extinguisher servicing, drills
Where this usually goes wrong
- An assessment that exists but was never acted on — findings listed, actions never closed
- No review after a layout change, a change of use, or new occupancy
- Assessor competence not evidenced, particularly in complex or higher-risk buildings
- Multi-occupied buildings where each Responsible Person assumes another has done it
- External wall systems and compartmentation not covered in residential blocks
What happens if it is missed
Enforcement sits with the local fire and rescue authority, which can issue alterations, enforcement or prohibition notices — the last of which can close a building immediately. Offences under the Order can carry unlimited fines and, for serious breaches, imprisonment. Insurers also treat a missing or stale assessment as a material issue.
This page is general information about compliance obligations in commercial property, not legal advice. Legislation cited applies to England and Wales unless stated; Scotland and Northern Ireland differ, particularly on fire safety. Duty holders should confirm their position against current legislation and a competent assessment of their own premises.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common inquiries regarding contract scopes, SLAs, compliance audits, and onboarding.
There is no statutory interval. The Fire Safety Order requires the assessment to be kept up to date and reviewed if there is reason to suspect it is no longer valid or the premises have changed significantly. Annual review is common practice and sensible, but it is practice, not law.
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