How Often Should Fire Risk Assessments Be Reviewed? UK Requirements

One of the most common questions responsible persons ask is about fire risk assessment review frequency: how often do you actually need to revisit an existing assessment? The short answer is that most premises should have their fire risk assessment reviewed at least annually. But the legal position is more nuanced than a single number, and some buildings need more frequent attention.

This guide covers what UK law requires, what recognised guidance recommends, and how to set a practical fire risk assessment review schedule for your premises.

What the Law Actually Says

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 is the primary legislation governing fire risk assessments in England and Wales. Article 9 requires the responsible person to make a "suitable and sufficient" assessment and to review it regularly. It does not specify a fixed interval.

The Order states that a review must take place when:

• There is reason to suspect the assessment is no longer valid
• There has been a significant change in the matters to which it relates

This flexible wording places the burden on the responsible person (or their appointed assessor) to judge the appropriate review cycle based on recognised guidance and the risk profile of the building.

The Annual Benchmark

PAS 79:2020, the British Standards Institution's guidance on fire risk assessment, recommends that assessments should be reviewed at least annually as a general rule. This has become the de facto standard across the industry. Most insurers, local fire authorities, and enforcing officers expect to see evidence of an annual review as a minimum.

For a detailed look at how PAS 79:2020 shapes fire risk assessment methodology, see our PAS 79 guide.

Annual review does not mean annual reassessment. The distinction matters, and we cover it below.

Factors That Affect Review Frequency

An annual cycle is the baseline, but several factors may push you toward more frequent reviews:

Building complexity. Large or multi-use buildings with shared escape routes or mixed occupancy types carry higher inherent risk. Quarterly or six-monthly checks may be appropriate.

Occupant vulnerability. Premises housing people who may struggle to evacuate independently — care homes, sheltered housing, hospitals — demand closer scrutiny. Sector regulators often set their own expectations.

Type of premises. HMOs face specific fire safety duties under housing legislation, and local authorities routinely expect annual or more frequent reviews. Our HMO fire risk assessment guide covers this in detail.

Rate of change. Buildings undergoing refurbishment, changes in use, or significant occupant turnover should be reviewed whenever those changes occur, regardless of where you are in the annual cycle.

Enforcement history. If the fire service has previously issued an enforcement or prohibition notice, more frequent reviews demonstrate ongoing compliance and due diligence.

Typical Review Frequencies by Premises Type

Premises Type	Suggested Minimum Review Frequency	Notes
Standard office	Annually	Lower risk if single occupier, simple layout
Retail premises	Annually	More frequent if high footfall or layout changes
HMOs	Annually (often 6-monthly)	Local authority expectations vary; check with your council
Care homes / supported living	6-monthly or more frequently	Vulnerable occupants; CQC may have additional expectations
Schools and educational buildings	Annually	Review after any building works or changes to use
Warehouses and industrial units	Annually	More frequent if storing hazardous materials
High-rise residential (18m+)	Annually	Post-Grenfell legislation may impose additional requirements
Hotels and guest houses	Annually	Seasonal occupancy patterns may warrant interim checks
Construction sites	Ongoing / project-phase based	Risk profile changes continuously

These are suggested minimums structured per PAS 79:2020 guidance and common enforcing authority expectations. They are not statutory fixed intervals.

Trigger Events: When to Review Outside the Schedule

Regardless of your regular review cycle, certain events should prompt an immediate review:

• A fire or near-miss incident on the premises or in a similar building
• Building alterations — new partitions, changes to escape routes, modified fire doors, updated alarm systems
• Change of use — for example, a ground-floor office converting to a restaurant
• Significant change in occupancy — a large increase in staff, introduction of overnight sleeping, or new tenants in a shared building
• New fire safety legislation or updated guidance — such as amendments to the Fire Safety Act 2021 or revised Approved Document B
• Findings from routine fire safety checks — if weekly alarm tests or monthly emergency lighting checks reveal problems, the risk assessment may need revisiting

Review vs Full Reassessment

A review and a full reassessment are not the same thing.

A review is a structured check to confirm that the existing fire risk assessment remains valid. It examines whether the building, its use, its occupants, and its fire safety measures have changed since the last assessment. If nothing material has changed and all actions have been completed, the review can be documented briefly — confirming the date, the reviewer, and the conclusion that the assessment remains current.

A full reassessment means re-examining the premises from scratch: identifying hazards, evaluating risk, assessing controls, and producing new findings and recommendations. This is typically needed every three to five years, or sooner if substantial changes have occurred.

A disciplined annual review cycle reduces the burden of full reassessments. When you track actions, record changes, and maintain a clear audit trail throughout the year, the periodic reassessment becomes a more focused exercise rather than starting from zero.

Keep Your Review Schedule on Track

Missing a review deadline is one of the most common compliance gaps — and one of the easiest to avoid with the right system in place.

AssessKit includes built-in review scheduling: set review dates per assessment, automate reminders for responsible persons and assessors, and maintain a complete audit trail. No spreadsheets, no missed dates.

If you manage fire risk assessments across multiple sites or clients, a structured review schedule is the foundation of defensible compliance.