Fire Risk Assessment Costs: What You Pay For and How to Compare Quotes

When you compare fire risk assessment costs, establish what each assessor will inspect, which documents they will review and what you will receive. A useful assessment gives you a clear understanding of fire risk and a practical action plan. Its value depends on the quality of those conclusions and recommendations.

This guide explains what affects fire risk assessment costs, what a professional fee should cover and how to commission the right service for your premises.

How much does a fire risk assessment cost?

There is no statutory tariff for a professional fire risk assessment. Providers set their fees according to the building, their proposed scope and the resources they need.

Published UK provider examples indicate the spread. One provider’s June 2026 pricing guide lists £300 to £500 excluding VAT for a small office or retail unit, £600 to £900 for a medium commercial property, £1,200 to £2,000 for a large multi-floor building or hotel, and £2,000 upwards for complex sites. These figures represent that provider’s published examples, rather than a national average or Anstey Horne’s fees.

For larger residential buildings, mixed-use developments, specialist occupancies and intrusive assessments, obtain a tailored proposal. A headline starting price tells you little about whether the service suits your building.

Ask whether each quote includes VAT, travel, reporting, technical review and follow-up advice. These details can change the amount you ultimately pay.

What do you pay for?

A professional assessment involves preparation, inspection, analysis and reporting. Time on site represents only part of the work.

Preparation and document review

The assessor establishes the building’s use, layout, occupancy, construction and management arrangements. They review relevant information, which may include drawings, the fire strategy, previous assessments, maintenance records and specialist survey findings.

This preparation helps them identify issues that need particular attention during the inspection.

Site inspection and discussions

The assessor examines accessible areas within the agreed scope, considers fire hazards and precautions, and discusses how people manage the building.

They may need to speak with your facilities manager, managing agent, maintenance team or other people who understand its operation.

Risk evaluation and reporting

The assessor considers the evidence, evaluates risk and develops proportionate recommendations. They should explain material uncertainties and identify further investigation where the available evidence cannot support a conclusion.

The report should give you a prioritised action plan, with enough location and technical detail to commission the next steps.

Technical review and clarification

Some commissions require additional technical review, particularly where the building presents complex issues. Ask whether the fee includes this review and a discussion after you receive the report.

Report length alone does not demonstrate quality. Clear findings, sound reasoning and usable recommendations matter more than page count.

How building size affects fire risk assessment costs

Larger buildings generally take longer to inspect, but assessors need more information than total floor area.

The number of floors, staircases, separate buildings and distinct occupied areas all affect the work. Basements, roof plant rooms, service areas and extensive escape routes can add inspection time.

For example, two offices might each occupy 2,000 square metres. One could have an open layout across two floors with straightforward access. The other could extend across several connected buildings with multiple tenants and different escape arrangements.

The second property may need more inspection, coordination and analysis despite its identical floor area.

Provide floor plans and a schedule of buildings when requesting quotes. Identify whether the stated area covers the entire property, a tenant’s demise or the landlord’s common parts.

This helps assessors price the same premises and reduces the risk of scope changes after appointment.

How building use and occupants affect the fee

Building use influences the hazards an assessor must consider and the precautions people need.

An office, restaurant, hotel, warehouse and care setting can present very different assessment requirements. Relevant factors include cooking, storage, industrial processes, overnight occupation and the number of people unfamiliar with the premises.

The assessor must also consider people who may need help to evacuate. This can require a closer examination of staffing, procedures and evacuation arrangements.

A small hotel may therefore require more assessment work than an office of similar size. Guests sleep, may not know the layout and may need to respond to an alarm at night.

Explain how your building actually operates. Include opening hours, overnight use, visitor numbers, occupancy levels and any changes in use.

A quote based on “commercial premises” alone may overlook the factors that determine the appropriate scope.

How complexity affects fire risk assessment costs

Complexity describes how the building, its systems and its management arrangements interact.

A mixed-use development may combine flats, shops, parking and shared plant. The assessor needs to understand how those uses interact and how the relevant parties coordinate fire safety.

Older buildings and conversions may have irregular layouts, concealed construction or a history of alterations. Tall buildings may have more extensive firefighting facilities and smoke control arrangements.

Complex fire engineering solutions can also require specialist knowledge and additional review of the supporting documentation.

Tell prospective assessors about known concerns, previous fire incidents, enforcement correspondence, major alterations and unresolved actions. These issues can affect the expertise and time the commission needs.

A higher fee should reflect identifiable work or expertise. Ask the provider to explain the building features that drive their proposal.

Why records affect the price

Good records help an assessor understand the building and evaluate the evidence efficiently.

Useful documents can include the fire strategy, current floor plans, previous fire risk assessments, completed action records, fire door surveys, compartmentation reports and maintenance information for fire protection systems.

Relevant external wall reports and records of significant alterations may also help.

Missing information can increase fire risk assessment costs because the assessor may need more time to investigate the building’s arrangements and establish what remains uncertain.

However, extra time cannot always replace missing evidence. An assessor cannot confirm the construction of a concealed wall simply by spending longer looking at its surface.

The assessment may identify a need for targeted opening-up, specialist advice or further documentation.

Distinguish reviewing existing information from creating new information. An ordinary assessment fee will not necessarily include producing a retrospective fire strategy, measured drawings or a detailed survey of concealed fire protection.

Send an indexed document pack before the visit. Label superseded drawings and identify which previous actions you have completed, with supporting evidence where available.

How inspection scope changes the fee

Two quotes can describe a “fire risk assessment” while allowing for substantially different work.

Agree the inspection boundaries before comparing prices. Establish which buildings, common parts, tenant areas, plant rooms, roof spaces, dwellings and external areas the assessor will consider.

Confirm access arrangements, sampling and any limitations.

An assessment should also address management arrangements. Inspecting physical precautions without understanding maintenance, procedures and evacuation arrangements can leave important questions unanswered.

For occupied residential buildings, ask the assessor to explain the proposed assessment type and why it suits the building.

Type 1, Type 2, Type 3 and Type 4 housing assessments

The Type 1 to Type 4 descriptions concern housing assessment scope. They do not represent a universal grading system for every commercial property.

Type 1 focuses on common parts through a non-intrusive assessment, including relevant examination of flat entrance doors.

Type 2 adds intrusive investigation on a sampling basis to examine relevant construction. Checking separating construction may sometimes require access to selected flats.

Type 3 extends the non-intrusive assessment to include relevant fire precautions within a sample of dwellings.

Type 4 combines that broader scope with intrusive investigation in common parts and sampled dwellings.

Intrusive work can add contractor attendance, opening-up, making good, access coordination and asbestos precautions to the budget. Ask who will arrange and pay for each element.

The appropriate type depends on the building and available evidence. A Type 4 assessment does not automatically mean opening every wall or inspecting every dwelling.

Agree the sampling strategy and the process for extending investigations if initial findings justify more work.

What may cost extra?

An assessment can identify the need for additional work without including that work in its fee.

Detailed fire door surveys

An assessor may examine accessible doors and review inspection arrangements within the agreed scope. A separately commissioned door survey can provide a more detailed record of individual doors, defects and recommended repairs.

Confirm whether your quote includes sampling or a defined door-by-door survey.

Compartmentation surveys

A non-intrusive assessment has limits when construction remains concealed. Targeted investigation may help establish the condition of fire stopping, service penetrations and compartment boundaries.

Ask whether opening-up and reinstatement sit within the quoted fee.

External wall appraisal

The assessor should consider relevant external wall information and identify when specialist input may be necessary. A fire risk assessment does not automatically include a Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls, or FRAEW.

Agree any specialist external wall work separately and confirm how its findings will inform the overall assessment.

System testing and fire strategy work

Reviewing alarm or smoke control maintenance records differs from servicing, testing or commissioning those systems.

Similarly, assessing the premises does not automatically include designing a new evacuation strategy or producing a retrospective fire strategy.

Clear exclusions help you understand the service and budget for justified follow-on work.

Which standards should a quote reference?

Ask the provider to identify the methodology and guidance appropriate to your premises.

BS 9792:2025 provides a code of practice for fire risk assessment in housing and replaces the withdrawn PAS 79-2:2020. PAS 79-1:2020 covers fire risk assessment in premises other than housing.

The provider should select relevant guidance for the occupancy and jurisdiction. A standards reference alone cannot demonstrate that the proposed inspection or the assessor’s experience suits your building.

For premises within the Fire Safety Order in England and Wales, the responsible person must ensure a suitable and sufficient assessment and keep it under review. Current requirements include recording the assessment in full and recording fire safety arrangements.

Your fee buys professional assistance with that process. You still need to manage the resulting actions.

How to compare fire risk assessment quotes

Issue the same written brief to each provider. Then compare the proposals against the following questions.

Does each quote cover the same property?

Check the address, buildings, floor areas, floors, occupancies and boundaries. Confirm how the assessor will address landlord and tenant interfaces.

What will the assessor inspect?

Compare the inspection scope, sampling, access requirements and intrusive work. Ask how the provider will handle areas they cannot access.

Who will carry out the assessment?

Ask for evidence of experience with your building type and complexity. Check relevant professional registration or recognised third-party certification, alongside suitable insurance.

Registration or certification should support your checks. You still need to establish that the proposed assessor can undertake your particular commission.

What will you receive?

Look for a clear report containing the building description, scope, material findings, limitations, risk evaluation and prioritised action plan.

Ask whether photographs, location references, a review recommendation and clarification support form part of the service.

What assumptions could change the fee?

Check charges for additional visits, failed access, out-of-hours attendance, contractor involvement and additional investigation.

Agree how the provider will explain and obtain approval for variations.

When will the report arrive?

Compare inspection availability and report delivery dates separately. A prompt visit provides limited value if the written findings arrive too late for your management programme.

Government guidance specifically recommends comparing quotations covering the same scope and checking assessor experience, references and insurance.

A worked example of comparing quotes

Consider two hypothetical quotes for the same building.

Quote A offers an assessment for £650 excluding VAT. It includes the inspection and report, but excludes review of existing specialist reports, a second visit and a findings meeting.

Quote B offers £950 excluding VAT and includes those elements.

If you need the additional services and Quote A charges £175 for document review, £200 for another visit and £100 for a meeting, its total becomes £1,125 excluding VAT.

The £650 headline price then exceeds the £950 inclusive proposal.

These figures illustrate a comparison method rather than market fees. Establish whether the services are necessary and compare the complete required scope.

A more expensive proposal still needs to demonstrate relevant value. A cheaper quote may offer good value when its scope and competence meet your needs.

How to reduce fire risk assessment costs

Good preparation can remove avoidable work.

Provide accurate plans, organised records and a clear description of the premises. Arrange keys, escorts and access permissions before the visit. Make someone available who understands the building’s operation.

For residential inspections, coordinate resident appointments where access is necessary. For commercial premises, arrange access to tenant areas and operational spaces where the agreed scope requires it.

Explain outstanding actions honestly. Evidence of completed repairs can help the assessor assess progress and avoid uncertainty about earlier findings.

For portfolios, ask whether coordinated visits and consistent reporting can reduce administration and travel. Each building still needs an assessment that reflects its own risks.

Ask the assessor to advise on proportionate scope. Removing necessary inspection work to reach a target price can create additional costs later.

Budgeting for reviews and follow-on actions

Fire risk assessment costs form one part of your fire safety budget.

You may also need to fund maintenance, training, repairs, specialist investigation and verification of completed work.

Keep these costs separate when comparing assessment fees. Paying for a report does not include implementing its recommendations unless the appointment expressly covers that work.

There is no single annual renewal rule for every assessment under the Fire Safety Order. Review the assessment regularly and when there is reason to suspect it is no longer valid or a significant change affects it.

Agree a review approach that reflects the building, its occupants, changes and findings. Ask what a future review will include and when a new assessment may become necessary.

Frequently asked questions about fire risk assessment costs

Why do quotes for the same building vary?

Providers may allow for different inspection scopes, document review, expertise, technical review and follow-up support. Compare those elements before judging the fee.

Can I use an online assessment?

Online tools can help you organise information. They cannot inspect construction or replace the building knowledge and competence your assessment requires. Establish whether the proposed approach can adequately assess your premises.

Does the price include repairs?

Usually, the assessment and remedial work involve separate instructions. Confirm the position in writing and ask the assessor to distinguish urgent actions from longer-term improvements.

Will missing records always increase the fee?

Not necessarily. Their effect depends on what information is missing and whether it affects the assessment. Discuss gaps before appointment so the provider can explain any additional work or limitations.

Can I commission one assessment for several buildings?

You can arrange a portfolio commission, but the scope and findings must address each building appropriately. Confirm how the reports will identify individual risks, actions and management responsibilities.

Compare fire risk assessment costs against the work you need

The right fee reflects your building’s size, use, complexity, records and inspection scope. A useful quotation explains those factors and shows what you will receive.

Anstey Horne provides fire risk assessment services for residential, commercial and mixed-use properties. Our team helps clients establish an appropriate scope and translate findings into practical priorities.

To discuss fire risk assessment costs for your property, send us its address, use, approximate size, number of floors, previous assessment and any known concerns. We can then advise on the proposed assessment and provide a tailored quotation.