Who is responsible for carrying out fire safety risk assessments?

The law does not specify who can carry out a fire risk assessment. It states that the person must be competent enough to complete a ‘suitable and sufficient’ assessment of that building.

Responsibility for a fire risk assessment in your building could be with:

• the owner - also known as the freeholder
• a residents’ management company
• Right to Manage company
• a managing agent

According to the law, a "responsible person" oversees fire safety in the shared parts of a building.

For blocks of flats or large houses in multiple occupation (HMO) this is usually the freeholder or management company.

They give some of these responsibilities to a managing agent. This can include arranging or reviewing fire risk assessments.

The responsible person, or agent, may carry out the fire risk assessment themselves or employ someone else to do it.

Page last updated: 24 November 2023