Scope after the 2021 Act.
- Common parts — stairways, corridors, lobbies, plant and service areas, bin stores, communal facilities.
- Flat entrance doors — every door between a dwelling and the common parts, assessed for fire resistance and self-closing from the common side in a Type 1 assessment.
- Structure and external walls — cladding systems, insulation, balconies, attachments and windows. Where external wall risk cannot be judged visually, the assessor recommends a Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls (FRAEW) under PAS 9980 — the document that also feeds lender EWS1 processes.
- Not in scope — the interior of individual flats, unless escalated to Type 3/4 on a sampled basis.
The evacuation strategy question.
The single most consequential judgement in a flats assessment is whether the building supports its evacuation strategy:
| Strategy | Depends on | Assessment focus |
|---|---|---|
| Stay put | Robust compartmentation: 60-minute flat separation, FD30S entrance doors, protected common parts | Verifying the compartmentation is real — doors, fire-stopping, external wall performance |
| Simultaneous evacuation | Common alarm system, adequate escape capacity | Detection coverage (BS 5839-1), escape widths, management of the change — usually an interim measure where compartmentation is compromised |
Where defects undermine stay put — combustible cladding, failed compartmentation — the assessor may advise interim simultaneous evacuation, sometimes with a common alarm or waking watch, until remediation. That advice carries major cost consequences and should be evidenced against the NFCC guidance in the report.
The recurring findings in blocks
- Flat entrance doors replaced with non-fire-rated doors, or self-closers removed by residents.
- Storage in escape routes and under stairs; mobility scooters and e-bike charging in common parts — a rising ignition risk assessors now flag specifically.
- Breached compartmentation above ceilings and in risers after cabling works.
- Missing emergency lighting test records; obsolete signage.
- No cooperation records between the freeholder, managing agent and commercial occupiers in mixed-use blocks — now a Section 156 duty.
Duties stacked on top
Buildings above 11 metres add quarterly communal door checks and annual flat entrance door checks; above 18 metres, secure information boxes, plans to the fire service, monthly equipment checks and wayfinding signage — the full schedule is in the 2022 Regulations guide. High-rise residential buildings also fall within the Building Safety Regulator's occupation regime, with safety case duties beyond the scope of the routine assessment.