Fire Risk Assessment Overview.

From 1st October 2006 The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires the Responsible Person (RP) of any non-domestic premises to carry out a Fire Risk Assessment (FRA), including measures to reduce or eliminate the risk of fire, and identify persons at risk. Or if you employ more than five people, are self-employed with premises, are the owner/manager/landlord of residential flats or a HMO with communal areas (which are classed as non-domestic areas), or have the public visit your premises, and also for CQC and OFSTED purposes – you will require a fire risk assessment (FRA) by law.

What’s your obligation as a Landlord?

If you are the landlord of a retail unit, industrial unit, block of flats or even just a house conversion, you will no doubt collect the building insurance from the tenants seeing as the building insurance will be in your name or company. In the event of a fire you will be claiming from your building insurance, however the first thing the loss adjuster will ask you for is a copy of the fire risk assessment (FRA) .

Unfortunately many landlords have been caught out in not having a valid FRA , Remember No fire risk assessment = No insurance!!!  Always read the small print of your building insurance.

If you are unfortunate enough to have had a fire and your FRA has been deemed out of date or insufficient the loss adjuster can use that fact to withhold or downgrade any insurance payments.

Energy Safety will carry out your Fire Risk Assessments and make sure to highlight any fire precautions that need implementing.  

Further Guidance on fire precautions

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regulatory-reform-fire-safety-order-2005-guidance-note-enforcement