Key Takeaways
- No UK law says review every 12 months. The duty is to review regularly and keep the assessment up to date.
- Review at least once a year as best practice. Many insurers expect it.
- Review at once after building work, a change of use, new hazards, or a fire or near miss.
- Since 1 October 2023, every responsible person must record the assessment, whatever the size of the business.
- A full reassessment is wise every few years, or sooner if the building changes a lot.
- The responsible person stays legally liable, even when a contractor does the work.
Most people want one number. They want to know if it is every year, every two years, or every five. The honest answer is more useful than a number, and it is the one that actually keeps you compliant.
The law ties your fire risk assessment review frequency to risk and change, not to a date. Many guides get this wrong. Some say the law demands a 12-month review. It does not. Others say only firms with five or more staff must write the assessment down. That ended in 2023.
This guide covers the legal position, a practical review schedule by premises type, and a ready-to-use checklist, including the latest 2026 updates on assessor competence reform. For the related question of how long an assessment stays valid once it has been reviewed, our guide on how long a fire risk assessment lasts covers that angle in more depth.
Quick answer: UK law sets no fixed interval. The Fire Safety Order says to review the assessment regularly, and whenever it may be invalid or something significant changes. Best practice is a review at least once a year. Review sooner after building work, a change of use, new hazards, or any fire or near miss.
Frequency of Fire Risk Assessments UK: What the Law Says
The frequency of fire risk assessments UK employers must follow comes from Article 9 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. This law covers non-domestic premises in England and Wales.
Article 9(3) says the responsible person must review the assessment regularly, so as to keep it up to date. It then names two triggers:
- There is reason to suspect the assessment is no longer valid.
- There has been a significant change to the premises, the work, or the organisation.
If a review shows changes are needed, the responsible person must make them.
The Health and Safety Executive takes the same line for risk assessments in general. It says there is no set frequency for a review.
Why the Law Avoids a Fixed Date
A small, stable office and a busy care home carry very different risks. A single date would suit neither, so the law sets an outcome instead. Your assessment must be current and valid.
Watch out: an assessment is not valid because it is under a year old. It is valid because it still matches your building, your people, and your risks. A refit in month three can make it out of date long before the annual reminder arrives.
Fire Risk Assessment Legal Requirements UK
Here are the fire risk assessment legal requirements UK duty holders need to know.
| Requirement | What It Means | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Carry out an assessment | Almost all non-domestic premises, plus the common parts of blocks of flats | Fire Safety Order 2005 |
| Make it suitable and sufficient | It must be thorough for your premises | Article 9 |
| Use a competent person | Someone with enough training, experience, and knowledge | Fire Safety Order guidance |
| Review it regularly | And after significant change or doubt about validity | Article 9(3) |
| Record it | Every responsible person, from 1 October 2023 | Building Safety Act 2022, section 156 |
| Record who did it | Name of the person who carried out or reviewed it | In force since 1 October 2023 |
| Hand over records | When responsibility for the building changes | Article 22A |
The 2023 Recording Change
The Building Safety Act 2022 changed the rules on 1 October 2023. Section 156 requires all fire risk assessments and their findings to be recorded, and it no longer matters how many staff you have.
Outdated advice: some guides still say only businesses with five or more employees must keep a written record. That was the old rule. Follow the 2023 rule instead, which applies regardless of the size or purpose of the business or premises.
Fire Safety Act 2021 and the 2022 Regulations
The Fire Safety Act 2021 clarified that the Order covers the structure, external walls, and flat entrance doors in multi-occupied residential buildings. The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 added further duties for residential blocks.
The Leasehold Advisory Service says all buildings in England and Wales containing flats must have an assessment of the shared areas. It also notes the assessment may recommend how often to review it.
Other UK Nations
| Nation | Main Law | Key Term |
|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 | Responsible Person |
| Scotland | Fire (Scotland) Act 2005, Part 3, and the Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006 | Duty Holder |
| Northern Ireland | Fire and Rescue Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 | Responsible person |
The same principle applies in each nation. Keep the assessment current, and check local guidance for your premises.
Penalties
Breaching the Order is a criminal offence. Where a failure puts people at risk of death or serious injury, the penalty on indictment is an unlimited fine, up to two years in prison, or both.
Responsible persons can face personal liability for this, even where a contractor carried out the work. Enforcement usually follows a visit from your local fire and rescue authority, in much the same way as the wider health and safety inspections that cover the rest of the workplace.
Fire Risk Assessment Annual Review: Best Practice, Not Law
A fire risk assessment annual review is not written into the Order. Yet it is the accepted standard across the industry.
Why do so many sources recommend it?
- It matches how fast most workplaces change.
- Many insurers expect it as a condition of cover.
- It gives you a dated record if an inspector visits.
- It catches slow drift, such as stock stored in escape routes.
Think of it like an MOT. You do not wait for the warning light. You check the vehicle on a schedule, and the same logic applies to a building.
Myth check: some sites claim the law requires a review every 12 months. The Order does not say that. Call it best practice. Do not call it a legal minimum.
What an Annual Review Involves
A review is a check, not a rewrite. It usually means:
- Walk the premises and compare them with the written assessment.
- Confirm the hazards and the people at risk are unchanged.
- Check alarms, emergency lighting, extinguishers, and fire doors.
- Confirm escape routes are clear.
- Talk to staff about new work or concerns.
- Record the date, who did it, what changed, and what you did.
Record the review even if nothing changed. That proves you looked.
When to Update a Fire Risk Assessment
Knowing when to update a fire risk assessment matters more than the calendar. These events should trigger a review at once. Do not wait for the annual date.
| Trigger | Examples |
|---|---|
| Building or layout changes | Extension, new partition, removed fire door, changed escape route |
| Change of use | Storage becomes a workshop. An office floor becomes a gym |
| Change in occupancy | More staff or visitors. Night shifts. Residents with reduced mobility |
| New hazards or processes | New machinery, flammable liquids, hot works such as welding |
| A fire or near miss | Any incident, however small |
| Changes to fire safety systems | New alarm, new emergency lighting, new extinguishers |
| New information | A survey defect, a cladding concern, an inspector notice |
| New law or guidance | Changes to the Order, regulations, or official guidance |
| Doubts about the old assessment | Staff report blocked exits or faulty equipment |
People matter: if you employ someone who needs help to evacuate, you may need a personal emergency evacuation plan, known as a PEEP. That is a trigger too.
Fire Risk Assessment Renewal UK: Review or Full Reassessment?
People search for fire risk assessment renewal UK as if assessments expire. They do not. There is no legal expiry date.
There is a difference between a review and a fresh assessment.
| Review | Full Reassessment | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Check the assessment is still valid | Start again from scratch |
| Effort | Lighter and quicker | Full survey and new report |
| Who | Often the responsible person, if competent | Usually a professional assessor |
| When | Every year, plus after changes | After major change, or every few years |
| Output | Dated review record, updated actions | New suitable and sufficient assessment |
Some sources suggest a full professional reassessment every three to five years. Treat that as a working default, not a legal rule. Reassess sooner if the building changed a lot or the old report is thin.
Four Types of Assessment for Residential Blocks
The Leasehold Advisory Service describes four types of assessment. They range from Type 1, which covers shared parts, to Type 4, which also opens up ceilings and risers and includes individual flats. A separate fire risk appraisal of external walls, known as an FRAEW, applies where external walls contain, or may contain, combustible materials.
Fire Risk Assessment Frequency for UK Workplaces
The fire risk assessment frequency for UK workplaces depends on risk. The table below shows common working defaults. They are not legal minimums, simply the patterns most sources agree on.
| Premises | Review (Working Default) | Full Reassessment (Working Default) |
|---|---|---|
| Small, stable, low-risk office | Annually, or every 1 to 2 years if nothing changes | Every few years |
| Standard commercial (offices, shops, warehouses) | Annually | Every few years |
| Industrial sites, flammable materials, complex layouts | Annually, or more often | More frequently |
| Hospitality and leisure | Annually | Every few years |
| HMOs and blocks of flats | Annually, many licences expect it | Every few years |
| High-rise residential | Annually | As the building and risk require |
| Care homes, hospitals, hotels (sleeping risk) | Every 6 to 12 months | More frequently |
| Any premises after a trigger event | At once | If change is substantial |
Our advice: if unsure, choose an annual review. It is simple, defensible, and matches insurer expectations. Go faster for sleeping risk or high hazard premises.
What Affects Your Schedule
- Risk level of the activities and materials.
- Building complexity and number of floors or escape routes.
- Occupancy, especially vulnerable people and high footfall.
- Rate of change in layout, stock, and staff.
- Findings in your last assessment, which may state a review date.
Incident Management in the Workplace and Your Fire Risk Assessment
Good incident management in the workplace feeds your fire risk assessment. Every fire, alarm activation, and near miss tells you something.
A near miss might be a smouldering bin, a scorched socket, or a blocked exit found during a drill. Each one is a free warning, if you act on it.
Link Incidents to Reviews
| Incident | Immediate Action | Review Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Small fire put out with an extinguisher | Make safe. Log it. Investigate the cause | Review at once |
| Near miss (overheating, sparks, smoke) | Log it. Remove the hazard | Review controls |
| False alarm | Find the cause. Record it | Review detection if repeated |
| Blocked escape route found | Clear it. Record it | Check housekeeping controls |
| Failed alarm or emergency lighting test | Repair. Record it | Review maintenance regime |
| Fire causing work to stop for over 24 hours | Report under RIDDOR as a dangerous occurrence | Full review |
A Simple Incident Routine
Respond. Make people safe and call 999 if needed.
Log it. Record date, place, cause, and people involved.
Investigate. Find the root cause, not just the symptom.
Fix it. Assign an owner and a deadline.
Review the assessment. Update the hazards and controls.
Tell staff. Share what changed.
Digital logs help here. They show repeat issues and make reviews faster. Our guide to the best accident and incident reporting software in the UK covers tools built for keeping this kind of fire safety logbook.
Fire Risk Assessment Review Checklist
Use this fire risk assessment review checklist at each review. Tick, date, and sign it.
| # | Check | Done |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Has the building changed? Layout, extension, refit, cladding | |
| 2 | Has the use changed? Rooms, floors, activities | |
| 3 | Have numbers or types of people changed? Staff, visitors, vulnerable people | |
| 4 | Do any people need a PEEP? | |
| 5 | Are there new hazards? Machinery, stock, flammable liquids, hot work | |
| 6 | Are ignition sources and fuel sources controlled? | |
| 7 | Are escape routes clear, signed, and unlocked? | |
| 8 | Are fire doors in good condition, closing properly, and not wedged? | |
| 9 | Do the alarm and detection system work and get tested? | |
| 10 | Does emergency lighting work and get tested? | |
| 11 | Are extinguishers in place, in date, and serviced? | |
| 12 | Is the evacuation plan current? | |
| 13 | Is fire safety training up to date for staff and wardens? | |
| 14 | Have there been fires, near misses, or false alarms since the last review? | |
| 15 | Are actions from the last assessment closed? | |
| 16 | Has any law, guidance, or insurer requirement changed? | |
| 17 | Is the assessment recorded, with the assessor name and date? | |
| 18 | Is the next review date set? |
If you tick yes to a change in items 1 to 5, consider a full reassessment rather than a light-touch review. For the detailed walkthrough version of this checklist, see our fire safety risk assessment checklist.
Who Can Carry Out the Review?
The responsible person owns the legal duty. They can do a simple review themselves if they are competent. For complex premises or major change, use a professional instead.
The Competence Reforms
The rules on assessor competence are about to change in England.
The Building Safety Act 2022 inserted a competence duty into the Order as Article 9A. At the time of writing, it has not been brought into force.
The government ran a consultation on regulating fire risk assessors from 26 March to 18 June 2026. It follows Recommendation 26 of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 report.
The September 2026 progress report said a response is due between October and December 2026. It says primary legislation to make independent certification mandatory is expected between 2027 and 2029.
In September 2026, the Fire Industry Association announced FireQual, Ofqual-regulated fire risk assessment qualifications at Levels 3, 4, and 5.
So today there is no legal certificate requirement. Still, choose an assessor with recognised qualifications and insurance, and ask for proof of both before you commission work.
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Why It Fails | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Treating the assessment as valid for 12 months | Validity depends on accuracy, not age | Review on triggers as well as dates |
| Filing it and forgetting it | The Order requires regular review | Diarise reviews and name an owner |
| Skipping the record | All assessments must be recorded since 2023 | Keep a dated written record |
| Not recording who did it | The assessor identity must be kept | Add their name and organisation |
| Ignoring near misses | They show weak controls | Log them and review |
| Never closing actions | Findings do not fix themselves | Assign owners and deadlines |
| Using an unqualified assessor | You stay liable for a poor assessment | Check competence and insurance |
| Losing records when the building changes hands | Article 22A requires hand-over | Pass records to the new responsible person |
Final Thoughts
There is no magic number. The law asks you to keep your fire risk assessment current. Review it at least once a year. Review it at once when anything significant changes. Record every review, and close every action that comes out of it.
Treat the assessment as a living document rather than a certificate. It should match the building you have today. If you do that, you meet the law and, more importantly, you protect your people.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Check your own premises and local rules with a competent fire risk assessor or your fire and rescue authority.
How Smart Workforce Supports Fire Safety Compliance
Keeping review dates, incident logs, and training records in sync across a site, or several sites, is hard to manage on paper. Smart Workforce gives you dated, audit-ready records for fire risk assessment reviews, logs incidents and near misses in one place, flags when training or checks fall due, and keeps a clear record of who did what and when.
See how Smart Workforce keeps your fire safety records audit-ready. Book a demo today.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should a fire risk assessment be reviewed in the UK?
There is no fixed legal interval. The law says review it regularly and after significant change. Best practice is at least once a year, and sooner after any trigger such as building work or a fire.
Is a fire risk assessment valid for 12 months?
No fixed validity period exists in law. An assessment stays valid only while it matches your premises and risks. Annual review is best practice, but a major change can make it out of date sooner.
Does the law require an annual fire risk assessment review?
No. The Fire Safety Order does not state a time period. It requires regular review to keep the assessment up to date. An annual review is widely used as the standard and is often an insurer condition.
When should a fire risk assessment be updated?
Update it after building work, a change of use, new hazards or equipment, changes in occupancy, a fire or near miss, system changes, or new law. Update it whenever you suspect it is no longer valid.
Do small businesses need a written fire risk assessment?
Yes. Since 1 October 2023, every responsible person must record the assessment, whatever the number of employees. The old five-employee threshold no longer applies. Keep the record with its review dates.
What is the difference between a review and a new assessment?
A review checks the existing assessment is still valid and updates it. A new assessment starts again with a full survey. Use a new one after major change or when the old report is out of date.
Who is responsible for reviewing a fire risk assessment?
The responsible person, usually the employer, owner, landlord, or managing agent. They can delegate the task to a competent person, but they cannot delegate the legal responsibility itself.
How often should high-risk premises be reviewed?
Care homes, hospitals, hotels, and sites with flammable materials often review every six to twelve months. Many reviewers go faster than annual for sleeping risk. Follow your assessor advice and your insurer terms.
What are the penalties for not reviewing a fire risk assessment?
Where the failure puts people at risk of death or serious injury, the penalty on indictment is an unlimited fine, up to two years in prison, or both. Responsible persons can be personally liable.
Does a fire or near miss require a review?
Yes. Treat any fire, however small, and any near miss as an immediate trigger. Investigate the cause, fix it, and update the assessment. Some fires also need reporting under RIDDOR.
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