The competence credentials.
| Credential | What it certifies | Verify at |
|---|---|---|
| BAFE SP205 | Organisation third-party certificated for life safety fire risk assessment — audited methodology, competent staff, PI insurance | BAFE public register |
| IFE Register of Fire Risk Assessors | Individual assessed by the Institution of Fire Engineers on knowledge and report quality | IFE register |
| FRACS | Warringtonfire certification of individuals and companies | FRACS register |
| IFSM TFRAR | Institute of Fire Safety Managers tiered register (including audited Principal level) | IFSM register |
Registers matter because they are checkable in minutes and carry complaint and audit machinery behind them. A certificate from an unaccredited two-day course is training, not certification — it may support competence for simple premises but does not evidence it for sleeping risk or complex buildings.
Match the assessor to the premises.
Competence is premises-specific. An assessor excellent on offices may be outside their competence on a care home's progressive horizontal evacuation or a high-rise's stay-put strategy. Ask directly:
- How many premises of this exact type have you assessed in the last two years? May I see a redacted sample report for one?
- Which benchmark will you assess against — which sector guide, and PAS 79-1 or 79-2?
- Who, named, will attend site, and what is their individual registration?
- What are your PI insurance limits, and does the policy cover fire risk assessment specifically?
- For blocks of flats: how do you handle external walls — within scope, or a separate PAS 9980 appraisal?
Red flags
- Quotes without a scope statement, or prices implausible for the premises type (see the cost guide).
- Desktop or "remote video" assessments offered for sleeping-risk premises.
- Refusal to name the attending assessor or provide a sample report.
- An assessor who also quotes for the remedial works without declaring the conflict — assessment and remediation should be commercially separated or the interest openly managed.
- No mention of limitations, review dates or the post-2023 recording requirements.
"A person is to be regarded as competent... where he has sufficient training and experience or knowledge and other qualities to enable him properly to assist in undertaking the preventive and protective measures."Article 18(5) standard, applied to assessors through Article 9A
Why it lands on you
Appointing an incompetent assessor is itself a breach — and if the resulting document fails at audit, the responsible person carries the enforcement consequences, not the assessor. Verification takes ten minutes; the alternative is discovering the gap during an investigation. Every assessor in the FireCertificates network holds BAFE SP205 or IFE registration with current PI insurance, matched to your premises type before confirmation.