How much does a fire risk assessment cost in the UK?
Published · 6 min read
A fire risk assessment in the UK typically costs somewhere between roughly £250 and £900 plus VAT for straightforward premises such as a small office, shop or a purpose-built block of flats needing a Type 1 assessment. Larger, more complex or higher-risk buildings — care settings, hotels, HMOs, multi-storey blocks, or anywhere needing intrusive Type 2 to Type 4 work — run well into four figures. Price is driven mostly by floor area, occupancy complexity, the type of assessment commissioned and travel, not by the report itself.
Why there is no list price
Fire risk assessment is professional time, not a product. The competent person has to walk the premises, form judgements about the risks, and then produce a record capable of standing up to an enforcing authority or a court. The cost therefore tracks how long that takes — and a 90 square metre shop and a fourteen-storey block of flats do not take the same time.
The indicative figures below are exactly that: indicative. They reflect typical UK market rates for competent professional assessors, but the honest answer to "what will it cost" is always "it depends on the building", and any assessor quoting without knowing the premises is guessing.
What actually drives the price
Six factors account for most of the variation between quotes:
- Floor area and number of storeys — the single biggest driver, because it sets time on site.
- Occupancy and use — sleeping accommodation, care settings, HMOs and premises with vulnerable occupants demand far more scrutiny than a single-tenancy office.
- Complexity of the building — multiple stairs, basements, plant, commercial units under residential, unusual construction or a stay-put strategy all add time.
- The type of assessment — for blocks of flats, a Type 1 versus a Type 3 or Type 4 can multiply the cost several times over, because Types 2 and 4 need a contractor to open up and make good.
- Travel and location — rates in London and the South East sit above the national average, and remote sites carry travel time.
- First assessment versus review — a review of an existing, good-quality assessment costs materially less than a first visit to a building nobody has assessed properly.
Indicative ranges
As a rough guide, expect the following orders of magnitude in 2026, excluding VAT:
- Small, simple premises — a single-unit shop, café or small office: roughly £250–£450.
- Medium commercial premises — a multi-room office floor, small industrial unit, restaurant: roughly £400–£800.
- Purpose-built block of flats, Type 1 common parts assessment: roughly £300–£700 depending on the number of storeys and cores.
- Larger or higher-risk premises — hotels, care homes, schools, HMOs, multi-storey mixed-use: £900 upwards, often well into four figures.
- Type 3 assessments sampling inside flats: typically a substantial uplift on the Type 1 for the same block, driven by the number of flats sampled and resident access.
- Type 2 and Type 4 intrusive assessments: priced as a project, including contractor attendance and making good.
Comparing quotes fairly
The most common reason two quotes differ by a factor of three is that they are not for the same thing. Before comparing, pin down: the type of assessment and its scope; whether the whole building or only the common parts is covered; whether a written report with photographic evidence and a prioritised action plan is included or charged separately; the assessor’s competence and third-party registration; whether a review visit is included; and the professional indemnity cover in place.
Be wary of the very cheapest quotes. A fire risk assessment that is a two-page tick sheet is worse than useless — since section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022 came into force in October 2023, the whole assessment must be recorded in full, and a thin report will not discharge that duty.
What it costs assessors to produce one
From the other side of the invoice, the economics are dominated by time — and specifically by write-up time. Assessors routinely spend as long producing the report as they do on site, which means roughly half the cost of delivering an assessment is desk work that adds no judgement.
That is where the margin sits for assessment practices. Capturing findings, photographs and dictated notes on site in a fire risk assessment app instead of a notebook, and drafting the write-up from those captures rather than from scratch, is what lets an assessor cover more buildings a week without cutting corners on site. Practices using fire risk assessment software inside a structured methodology typically report write-up time falling by half or more.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a fire risk assessment cost for a small business?
For a small, simple premises such as a single-unit shop, café or small office, expect roughly £250 to £450 plus VAT from a competent professional assessor. The figure rises quickly with floor area, number of storeys, sleeping accommodation and building complexity.
How much does a fire risk assessment cost for a block of flats?
A Type 1 assessment of the common parts of a purpose-built block commonly falls in the region of £300 to £700 plus VAT, depending on storeys, cores and complexity. Type 3 assessments that sample inside flats cost considerably more, and intrusive Type 2 or Type 4 work is priced as a project including contractor attendance.
Can I do my own fire risk assessment to save money?
The law allows the responsible person to carry out the assessment themselves, but it must be suitable and sufficient and made by a competent person. For simple, low-risk premises with no sleeping accommodation that can be realistic. For anything with sleeping risk, complex escape routes or shared occupancy, a professional assessor is the sensible route — and the responsible person remains liable either way.
Is a cheaper fire risk assessment a false economy?
Frequently. The cost of the assessment is trivial compared with the cost of unnecessary remedial works recommended by an assessor who did not understand the building, or of enforcement action following an assessment that was not suitable and sufficient. Check competence and third-party registration before price.
How often will I have to pay for this?
Most premises need a review annually and a full reassessment every one to three years depending on risk, so budget for a recurring cost rather than a one-off. A review of an existing, good-quality assessment costs materially less than a first assessment of a building nobody has assessed properly.
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