Will the assessor test the fire alarm?

The assessor verifies the system's category, coverage and test records, and may witness a call point test, but does not service the system — that remains the alarm contractor's role under BS 5839.

Does the assessor check inside flats in a block?

In a Type 1 assessment, no — common parts only, plus flat entrance doors from the common side. Inspection within dwellings requires a Type 3 or Type 4 assessment on a sampled basis.

What should I have ready for the assessor?

The previous assessment, alarm/emergency lighting/extinguisher certificates, fire door records, EICR, training records, the log book and access to every area including plant rooms and roof voids.

Will I be told about serious problems on the day?

Yes — any finding presenting imminent risk to life should be communicated verbally immediately, with interim measures advised, rather than held for the written report.

What Does a Fire Risk Assessor Check? | The Full Inspection Scope

The nine inspection domains.

1. Fire hazards

Ignition sources: fixed electrical installation condition (EICR status), portable appliances, heating, cooking, hot works, smoking provision, arson exposure (bin storage, boundary security, letterbox risk). Fuel: combustible storage and waste, furnishings, wall and ceiling linings, flammable liquids and gases. Oxygen: ventilation, oxidising agents, medical or compressed gases.

2. People at risk

Occupancy numbers and patterns, sleeping risk, lone workers, contractors, visitors, and anyone needing evacuation assistance — with PEEPs or GEEPs verified, not assumed.

3. Means of escape

Travel distances against the relevant guidance, exit widths and numbers for the occupancy, inner-room situations, stair protection, final exits openable without a key, external escape condition, and the evacuation strategy itself — simultaneous, phased, or stay put in blocks of flats.

4. Compartmentation and structural protection

Fire doors — condition, self-closers, seals, glazing; fire-stopping around service penetrations; ceiling and riser integrity; loft and basement separation. In residential buildings post-2021: flat entrance doors and the external wall system.

5. Detection and warning

System category or grade against the premises risk (BS 5839-1 categories / BS 5839-6 grades), coverage, call point provision, audibility, and the testing and service record — weekly user tests and six-monthly/annual servicing evidenced, not asserted.

6. Emergency lighting and signage

Emergency lighting coverage of escape routes and open areas to BS 5266-1 with monthly function and annual duration tests recorded; escape signage to BS ISO 7010 — visible, directional, consistent.

7. Firefighting equipment

Extinguisher types matched to the risks, siting and mounting, annual service under BS 5306-8; hose reels, suppression systems and dry/wet risers where fitted.

8. Management of fire safety

The human system: procedures and drills, staff training under Article 21, nominated persons, contractor control, permit-to-work for hot works, housekeeping standards observed on the day.

9. Records and documentation

The previous assessment and action plan progress, certificates for every system, the fire log book, and post-Section 156 recording completeness.

How findings become the report.

Stage	Output
Inspection + interview	Evidence: observations, photographs, test-record review
Evaluation	Risk rating — likelihood of fire × consequence for escape, benchmarked to the sector guide
Significant findings	Deficiencies graded by priority with target timescales
Action plan	Owned, dated, prioritised remediation programme — see the action plan guide

Key fact: Assessors record what they could not inspect — locked risers, occupied flats, inaccessible voids — as limitations. A report with no limitations section on a complex building is a warning sign, not a clean bill of health.

What the assessor actually checks.