A fire risk assessment is the legal cornerstone of fire safety compliance in the UK. Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, every non-domestic premises in England and Wales — and parts of multi-occupied residential buildings — must have a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment carried out by a competent person. The same duty applies in Scotland under the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 and in Northern Ireland under the Fire and Rescue Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006. Since the Building Safety Act 2022, the duty has tightened again for higher-risk residential buildings over 18 metres or seven storeys.
Choosing the right assessor matters. The Fire Safety Act 2021 clarified that common parts, flat entrance doors and external walls all fall within the scope of the risk assessment, so the methodology and competence needed for a mid-rise residential FRA differs sharply from a small office block. Most practitioners work to PAS 79-1:2020 for non-housing premises or PAS 79-2:2020 for housing, and the FRAEW (fire risk appraisal of external walls) work that grew out of Grenfell typically follows PAS 9980.
Competence signals to look for on a listing: third-party certification under BAFE SP205, registration with the Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE) or the Institute of Fire Safety Managers (IFSM), or listing on one of the ISO-accredited registers. Rate cards vary widely — a straightforward Type 1 FRA on a small HMO might be priced at a few hundred pounds, while a destructive Type 4 assessment on a complex mid-rise with external cladding can run into five figures. Always ask for a written scope and the intended assessment type before committing.
INFIRISK lists verified fire risk assessors across the UK, with credential chips surfaced prominently on each profile and the option to filter by area, industry accreditation, or sector focus (care homes, HMOs, high-rise, industrial). Every listing draws from public directory data and, where available, credentials verified by the respective issuing body.
