Fire risk assessments for blocks of flats
Assessed on the common parts, with the evacuation strategy stated plainly and the compartmentation that strategy depends on actually checked.
Which type of assessment you need
Type 1: common parts, non-destructive
The standard assessment for most blocks. Covers the common parts and a visual check of compartmentation between flats and the shared areas, without opening up construction.
Type 2 and 3
Extend into destructive sampling of construction, or into the flats themselves. Usually triggered by a specific concern the type 1 raised, rather than commissioned from the outset.
Type 4
The fullest scope: destructive inspection of both common parts and flats. Reserved for blocks where the fire strategy is genuinely in doubt.
Stay put only works if the building supports it
Stay put
Relies on each flat being a fire resisting box that holds for long enough. It only works if compartmentation is intact, which is exactly what the assessment tests. A stay put policy on a block with breached compartmentation is dangerous.
Simultaneous evacuation
Everyone leaves at once, usually with a common alarm. Needed where compartmentation cannot be relied on, and often adopted as an interim measure while remedial work is planned.
Getting the signage right
Whichever strategy applies must be displayed clearly and match what residents have been told. Blocks where the notice says stay put and the alarm sounds throughout are the ones that go wrong.
Blocks of flats questions
Who is responsible for a block of flats?
The person with control of the common parts. That is usually the freeholder, the right to manage company, or the managing agent acting for them. Individual leaseholders are not normally the responsible person for the shared areas.
Do the flats themselves get assessed?
Not in a standard type 1 assessment. The Fire Safety Order does not reach inside a private dwelling. The assessment covers the common parts and the fire resistance of the boundary between each flat and those common parts.
How much does it cost?
From £345 for the communal areas of a small block. The fee is driven by the number of flats and storeys, and whether there is a single stair or more than one.
What changed after Grenfell?
The Fire Safety Act 2021 confirmed that external walls and flat entrance doors fall within the scope of the assessment for multi-occupied residential buildings. The Building Safety Act introduced a further regime for higher-risk buildings above 18 metres or seven storeys.
Get a fixed price for your block
Tell us the property type and roughly how many rooms or how much floor area. You will get a fixed price back the same working day, with no site visit needed to quote.
Mon to Fri, 8am to 6pm. Emergency callouts by arrangement.