For many Responsible Persons, cost pressure has become a major factor when appointing a Fire Risk Assessor. Facilities budgets are tighter, portfolios are larger, and procurement teams are often encouraged to compare Fire Risk Assessments purely on price. On paper, one FRA can appear much the same as another.
In practice, the difference can be significant.
A poor-quality Fire Risk Assessment can leave serious hazards unidentified, create false confidence, and expose landlords, facilities managers, and building owners to enforcement action (or far worse) if a fire occurs. As scrutiny of assessor competence increases across the UK fire sector, the days of treating an FRA as a low-cost tick-box exercise are rapidly disappearing.
The government’s March 2026 consultation on mandatory certification for Fire Risk Assessors marks another major step in that direction. The consultation followed recommendations made through the Grenfell Tower Inquiry and reflected growing concern about inconsistent standards within the fire risk assessment sector.
The message coming from government and industry is becoming increasingly clear: competence matters. So, does the phrase ‘buy cheap, buy twice’ apply? Let’s explore
Why Fire Risk Assessments Are Under Greater Scrutiny
Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, Responsible Persons must appoint a competent person to assist with fire safety duties, including Fire Risk Assessments. Yet despite the legal importance of the FRA, the quality of assessments across the market varies widely.
Credible, useful fire risk assessments involve detailed site inspections, thorough reviews of fire safety management arrangements, careful examination of means of escape, compartmentation, fire doors, alarm systems, emergency procedures, maintenance records, and discussions with duty holders.
We’ve seen examples of others completed quickly, with limited time on site, generic findings, and vague recommendations. Barely worth the paper they’re written on because they don’t provide you with any meaningful insight or analysis of risk.
Cheap FRAs Can Become Very Expensive Problems
One of the biggest misconceptions in the sector is that all Fire Risk Assessments provide the same level of scrutiny. They do not.
At PB Fire Safety, follow-up assessments regularly uncover issues that previous reports either missed entirely or failed to address properly. In some cases, earlier assessments identified obvious hazards but downgraded their significance without sufficient justification. In others, key areas were simply omitted from inspection.
Common examples can include:
- Incomplete fire door inspections
- Missing compartmentation concerns
- Poorly assessed evacuation arrangements
- Inadequate maintenance records
- Insufficient consideration of vulnerable occupants
- Lack of suitable fire safety management procedures
- Generic recommendations copied between sites
- Failure to assess changes in building use or occupancy
These shortcomings create more than administrative problems. They can directly affect life safety.
A Responsible Person relying on an inadequate assessment may wrongly believe their building is compliant when significant deficiencies remain unresolved. If enforcement action follows, the FRA itself will often become a central piece of evidence.
Fire Safety Competence Means More Than Producing a Report
A suitable and sufficient FRA requires professional judgement, technical understanding, practical experience, and the ability to interpret how fire risks interact with the building, its occupants, and the management arrangements in place.
That includes understanding:
- Building construction and compartmentation
- Human behaviour in fire situations
- Means of escape design
- Fire alarm and detection standards
- Fire door performance
- Smoke control principles
- Emergency planning
- Relevant legislation and guidance
- The limitations of passive and active fire protection systems
Competence also means identifying issues clearly and explaining practical actions that help Responsible Persons improve compliance and reduce risk.
This is particularly important in complex premises such as:
- Multi-occupied residential buildings
- High-rise residential properties
- Care environments
- Student accommodation
- Hotels and hospitality venues
- Warehouses and industrial sites
- Commercial office portfolios
- Mixed-use developments
What A Thorough Fire Risk Assessment Should Include
A proper Fire Risk Assessment should never feel rushed or generic.
At PB Fire Safety, assessments involve detailed site-based inspections supported by quality assurance processes and clear reporting standards. Our assessors review both physical fire precautions and management systems to provide Responsible Persons with meaningful, practical recommendations.
A suitable FRA should consider:
- Means of escape
- Fire and smoke spread
- Sources of ignition and fuel
- Detection and warning systems
- Emergency procedures
- Fire safety training
- Maintenance arrangements
- Record keeping
- Fire door condition
- Vulnerable occupants and PEEPs
- Fire safety signage
- Management responsibilities
PB Fire Safety’s fire safety checkbox highlights many of the key assessment areas that Responsible Persons should already monitor within their premises.
Importantly, a competent assessor should also provide findings that are specific to the building, clearly prioritised, and realistic to implement.
Third-Party Fire Safety Certification Provides Additional Confidence
While certification is not currently mandatory for Fire Risk Assessors, third-party certification schemes remain one of the strongest indicators of competence and quality assurance.
PB Safety Consultancy have an evidenced history of achieving BAFE SP205 certification since 2023, which is in the process of being achieved by PB Fire Safety. This means our fire risk assessment process is independently audited and assessed against recognised industry standards.
For Responsible Persons, using a BAFE Certified provider offers additional confidence that assessments are subject to technical review, internal validation, and documented quality processes.
That level of oversight becomes increasingly valuable as enforcement scrutiny continues to increase across the sector.
Fire Safety Procurement Decisions Need to Change
Too often, Fire Risk Assessments are still procured as a commodity service where the cheapest quote wins.
That approach ignores the real purpose of the FRA.
A Fire Risk Assessment is not simply a document for a compliance folder. It forms the foundation of a building’s fire safety strategy and helps Responsible Persons understand where risks exist, what actions are required, and how life safety can be improved.
Choosing a low-cost assessment that misses significant issues can ultimately lead to:
- Enforcement notices
- Prosecution
- Increased remediation costs
- Insurance complications
- Reputational damage
- Increased risk to occupants
The initial saving quickly becomes insignificant when compared against the potential consequences of an inadequate assessment.
Competence Protects More Than Compliance
For facilities managers, landlords, and commercial building owners, confidence in your Fire Risk Assessment matters.
You need to know the assessment has been completed thoroughly, that findings are technically sound, and that recommendations genuinely support safer buildings and stronger compliance.
That only comes from competence, experience, and proper quality assurance.
As the fire sector moves toward greater regulation of Fire Risk Assessors, Responsible Persons should view assessor competence as a priority rather than an optional extra.
The question should no longer be, “Who offered the cheapest FRA?”
It should be, “Who can provide a suitable and sufficient assessment that stands up to scrutiny and genuinely helps protect people, property, and legal compliance?”
PB Fire Safety supports Responsible Persons across residential, commercial, and high-risk environments with competent, site-specific Fire Risk Assessments and practical fire safety support tailored to each building’s needs. PB Safety Fire Safety Services.