Can I Do My Own Fire Risk Assessment?

It is a question we hear regularly: can I just do my own fire risk assessment? The short answer is yes — but there is an important caveat.

What the Law Says

Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the person responsible for a premises — whether that is a landlord, employer, or building owner — must ensure that a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment is carried out. The law does not require you to hire a professional to do it. However, it does require that whoever carries out the assessment is competent to do so.

Competence means having the knowledge, skills, and experience to identify fire hazards, evaluate the risks they present, and determine what measures are needed to reduce those risks to an acceptable level.

What a Proper Assessment Involves

A thorough fire risk assessment is not simply a matter of checking whether you have smoke alarms fitted. It requires you to:

• Identify all potential fire hazards — sources of ignition, fuel, and oxygen
• Identify the people at risk — including those who may be especially vulnerable
• Evaluate, remove, or reduce the risks — and decide what protective measures are needed
• Record your findings — particularly if you employ five or more people, or if your premises require a licence
• Review and update the assessment — whenever there is a significant change to the premises or its use

Each of these steps demands a genuine understanding of fire behaviour, building construction, occupancy patterns, and current fire safety legislation.

The Honest Answer

Yes, you can conduct your own fire risk assessment — provided you have the knowledge, expertise, and training to thoroughly identify fire hazards and assess the risks they pose. What must be stressed is that this is not an easy undertaking. Getting it wrong does not just mean a failed inspection; it can mean real risk to the people in your building.

This is why we always recommend using a qualified, professional fire risk assessment service. A competent assessor will give you confidence that your assessment is thorough, accurate, and fully compliant with the law — and that nothing has been missed.

When to Call a Professional

You should strongly consider using a professional if:

• You are a landlord with tenants in your property
• Your property is an HMO (house in multiple occupation)
• You run a business or employ staff on the premises
• The building has complex layout, multiple floors, or shared areas
• You have previously received an enforcement notice or improvement notice from the fire authority
• You simply want peace of mind that everything has been done correctly

We Are Here to Help

At MS Fire Safety, we carry out thorough, plain-English fire risk assessments for residential landlords, homeowners, and small businesses across the UK. Our assessments are carried out by a FireQual Level 3 qualified assessor, and we will always explain our findings clearly — no jargon, no unnecessary recommendations.

Get in touch today to discuss your property and arrange an assessment.