FRA FAQ
A fire risk assessment often costs low-to-mid hundreds of pounds for a small, simple block or premises, and four figures for large, tall or complex buildings. The spread reflects size, height, layout, assessment type, access and the quality of your building records.
Price drivers
Size and height come first: more storeys, more staircases, more risers and more flat entrance doors mean more time on site, and time is most of the cost. Layout complexity matters almost as much, which is why a sprawling converted building can cost more to assess than a taller purpose-built block of flats. Assessment type is the other big lever: a non-destructive Type 1 inspection of the common parts is the default, while wider scopes add destructive sampling or work inside flats and are priced accordingly; the FRA types overview explains all four.
Then come the quieter drivers. Poor access, meaning locked risers, missing keys or no responsive site contact, adds visits and therefore cost. Thin records force the assessor to reconstruct basics such as door inspection history or the evacuation strategy from scratch. Volume cuts the other way: portfolio clients booking many buildings at once usually pay less per building than a one-off instruction, because travel and administration are shared across the programme.
Comparing quotes
Quotes diverge because scope diverges. One assessor prices a genuine half-day on site with flat entrance door sampling and a reasoned report; another prices an hour and a template. Both may be sold as a fire risk assessment, but they are not the same product, and the gap shows up later, when a lender, insurer or fire and rescue authority reads the report. Height thresholds change the work too: buildings over 11 metres carry fire door duties under the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, and high-rise buildings add external wall and information duties that the assessment has to engage with.
When you compare quotes, ask each assessor what is included: time on site, the door sample size, photographs, the action plan format, and whether follow-up questions are covered. Cheap quotes that dodge those questions are usually cheap for a reason; the page on how much a fire risk assessment should cost covers the red flags in detail. Remember also that the bill and the duty sit in different places: who pays for a fire risk assessment explains how costs flow through service charges.
FAQ
Usually, because height adds storeys, doors, risers and regulatory duties, but complexity can outweigh it. A low-rise Victorian conversion with awkward escape routes can cost more to assess than a taller, simpler purpose-built block. Assessors price the time a building demands, and complexity, not height, is what consumes time.
A Type 4 FRA combines inspection inside flats with destructive sampling, so it needs resident access arrangements, a contractor to open up and make good, and considerably more site time. It is commissioned where there is real doubt about construction or past alterations, not as a routine upgrade on a standard inspection.
No. The law requires review when the assessment may no longer be valid, and much of UK housing runs an annual review with a fuller reassessment on a risk-based cycle, so you are not buying a brand new assessment every year. How often should a fire risk assessment be done explains the pattern.
FRA Flow captures evidence on site and drafts BS 9792-native reports for a named reviewer to check and sign. Built for UK housing assessors. Free tier, no card.
