There is no single fixed legal interval for how often a fire risk assessment must be carried out in the UK — the law instead requires it to be reviewed whenever it is no longer valid. In practice, most responsible persons review their fire risk assessment annually, and always after a fire, a near miss, building works, or a significant change in occupancy. Higher-risk premises such as care homes, HMOs, and premises with sleeping accommodation should review more frequently, sometimes every six months.
The legal requirement to review a fire risk assessment
The duty to carry out and maintain a fire risk assessment comes from the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRFSO), which applies to almost all non-domestic premises in England and Wales, including the common parts of blocks of flats and HMOs. Article 9(1) of the RRFSO requires the "responsible person" — typically the employer, building owner, or landlord — to make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to relevant persons from fire.
Article 9(3) is the key provision for frequency: it states that the responsible person must review the assessment "if there is reason to suspect that it is no longer valid" or "if there has been a significant change in the matters to which it relates." This is the same review trigger used in Regulation 3(3) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 for general workplace risk assessments — the RRFSO deliberately mirrors that language.
There is no numbered clause anywhere in the RRFSO that says "review every 12 months." Instead, the responsible person is legally required to use judgement and monitor for triggering events on an ongoing basis.
Events that legally trigger a fire risk assessment review
Under Article 9(3), a review is required — not optional — whenever any of the following occur:
- A fire or near miss at the premises, even if no one was harmed
- Structural alterations or building works, including changes to layout, new partitions, or altered escape routes
- A change of use — for example converting office space to residential, or adding sleeping accommodation
- A significant increase in occupancy, or the introduction of vulnerable occupants (for example a care setting or a premises now used by children)
- Changes to fire safety equipment, such as new alarm systems, sprinklers, or fire doors being installed or removed
- New storage of hazardous or combustible materials that were not present when the original assessment was completed
- Enforcement action by the fire and rescue authority, such as an enforcement notice or alterations notice
- Findings from an audit or inspection that identify the existing assessment is inadequate
If none of these events occur, the assessment technically remains valid — but HSE and fire authority guidance both recommend treating "no significant change" as something to actively verify, not assume.
How often should you review a fire risk assessment as best practice?
In the absence of a fixed statutory interval, UK fire and rescue services and industry guidance converge on the following practical benchmarks:
- Annually — for the majority of standard commercial premises, offices, retail units, and workshops with no significant changes
- Every 6 months — for higher-risk premises such as care homes, hospitals, hotels, and HMOs with sleeping accommodation, where the consequences of an undetected change are more severe
- Immediately — following any of the triggering events listed above, regardless of when the last review took place
- At lease renewal or change of tenancy — for landlords managing rented commercial or residential premises, since occupancy and use commonly change at these points
A fire risk assessment that is several years old, with no evidence of periodic review, is one of the most common findings that leads to enforcement action by fire and rescue authorities during routine audits.
Who is legally responsible for reviewing it?
The RRFSO places the duty on the "responsible person," which the Order defines as the employer if the workplace is under their control, or otherwise the person who has control of the premises in connection with their trade, business, or other undertaking — this typically means the building owner, landlord, occupier, or managing agent. Where there are multiple responsible persons at a site (for example a landlord and separate tenant businesses), each must take reasonable steps to cooperate and coordinate their fire safety measures, including keeping assessments current.
The responsible person does not have to personally carry out the technical review — a competent person can be appointed to do this — but the legal duty to ensure it happens, and happens often enough, cannot be delegated away.
Penalties for an out-of-date fire risk assessment
Failing to review and maintain a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment is a criminal offence under Article 32 of the RRFSO. Fire and rescue authorities can issue an enforcement notice requiring specified improvements within a set timeframe, or a prohibition notice restricting or stopping the use of premises immediately if the risk to life is judged serious. Prosecution for breach of the RRFSO can result in an unlimited fine and, in the most serious cases involving death or serious injury, imprisonment. A fire risk assessment that has clearly not been reviewed despite obvious changes to the premises — new tenants, altered floor plans, blocked exits — is treated as strong evidence of non-compliance in any subsequent investigation.
How to keep a fire risk assessment current
Practical steps to stay compliant between formal reviews include keeping a simple log of any changes to the premises, layout, occupancy, or fire safety equipment as they happen; carrying out a documented walk-round check at the recommended interval (annually or six-monthly depending on risk category); training staff or the responsible person to recognise triggering events described above; and retaining evidence of every review, even where the conclusion is "no change required," so a clear audit trail exists if the fire authority ever asks. If you are unsure whether your premises needs a fire risk assessment at all, our guide on do I need a risk assessment explains who the legal duty applies to, and our broader risk assessment legal requirements guide sets out how fire safety duties fit alongside general workplace risk assessment law.
For a full walkthrough of how risk assessment works in UK law more broadly — including the 5-step process, the hierarchy of controls, and review triggers that apply across all types of risk assessment — see the ultimate guide to risk assessment.
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Also see: The ultimate guide to risk assessment · Do I need a risk assessment · Risk assessment legal requirements · Risk assessment generator