A communal area fire risk assessment covers the shared parts of a block of flats or converted house: entrance hall, stairs, landings, flat entrance doors and anything that affects escape. The Fire Safety Order 2005 requires the freeholder or managing agent to keep one under regular review. BritCertify assesses London communal areas from £119 inc. VAT, and individual studio flats from £79.
What does a communal area fire risk assessment cover?
Everything residents share and rely on to get out: the entrance hall, stairs, landings and corridors, meter and riser cupboards, bin and bike stores attached to the building, and every door that opens onto those spaces, including flat entrance doors.
The Fire Safety Act 2021, in force from 16 May 2022, confirmed that in multi-occupied residential buildings the Fire Safety Order also covers the structure, the external walls (including windows and balconies) and flat entrance doors. Our assessors look at the external walls from ground level and from inside the common parts, and note anything that needs a specialist appraisal. The inside of each flat is a private home and sits outside the communal assessment, apart from its entrance door.
What does the assessor check in the common parts?
We follow the route a resident would take from the top-floor flat to the street, then work back through every cupboard and service space along the way.
| Item | What we look for |
|---|---|
| Separation | Gaps around pipes, cables and ducts in riser cupboards, loft hatches and ceilings, and whether the stair is enclosed by fire-resisting construction |
| Doors | Flat entrance doors, stair and corridor doors, and cupboard doors: rating evidence, self-closers, seals and damage |
| Detection and alarm | Whether there is a communal system, what type, whether it suits the evacuation strategy, and its service records |
| Emergency lighting and signage | Lighting on the escape route, fire action notices and, in taller buildings, floor identification and wayfinding signs |
| Smoke ventilation | Openable or automatic smoke vents at the head of the stair, and whether anyone tests them |
| Housekeeping | Storage, rubbish, piles of post, mobility scooters and anything combustible in the common parts |
| Fire service access | A clear approach to the entrance, door entry that firefighters can use, and any dry riser inlet |
Which fire safety duties apply to my block?
It depends on height. The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, in force since 23 January 2023, add duties in steps as buildings get taller.
| Building | Duties for the responsible person |
|---|---|
| Any building with two or more flats, including a converted house | Give residents fire safety instructions and information about the importance of fire doors |
| Over 11 metres | All of the above, plus quarterly checks of communal fire doors and best-endeavours annual checks of flat entrance doors |
| High-rise: 18 metres or more, or 7 or more storeys | All of the above, plus a secure information box, wayfinding signage, floor plans and external wall information for the fire service, and monthly checks of lifts and firefighting equipment |
London Fire Brigade publishes a plain-English summary of these regulations. On top of them, section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022 requires the full assessment to be recorded with the assessor’s name, and relevant fire safety information to be shared with residents. We confirm which height bracket your building falls into during the visit.
What information must residents be given?
Every resident should know what to do if there is a fire, how to report one, and why the fire doors in the building matter. We include a summary of these points with the report, so you can send them out without rewriting the assessment.
- The evacuation strategy: whether residents should stay in their flat unless affected by fire or smoke, or leave as soon as the alarm sounds.
- How to report a fire: call 999 and give the full address, including the flat number and the nearest entrance.
- Fire doors: keep them shut, never disconnect a self-closer, and report damage straight away.
- Common parts: nothing stored on landings or stairs, and no charging of e-bikes or scooters in shared areas.
- Key findings: the risks the assessment identified and the fire safety measures in place.
We recommend issuing this information when residents move in, repeating it every year, and keeping a copy on display in the entrance hall.
Stay put or evacuate: which strategy suits my building?
It depends on how well each flat is separated from its neighbours and from the common parts. Purpose-built blocks are usually designed so that a fire stays in the flat where it starts, which supports a ‘stay put’ strategy. Many converted houses and flats above shops were never built to that standard, and simultaneous evacuation is often more appropriate.
The assessor confirms which strategy fits and whether the building can support it. A communal alarm that sounds in every flat only makes sense where everyone is meant to leave together, so we also check that the alarm design matches the strategy rather than working against it.
What do we typically find in London blocks and conversions?
The building type shapes the risk, and London has every type.
| Building | What our assessors often find |
|---|---|
| Victorian and Edwardian conversions | A single stair as the only way out, flat entrance doors swapped for non-fire-rated doors, missing self-closers, gas and electric meters under the stair surrounded by stored items |
| Flats above shops | Uncertain separation between the shop and the residential stair, shop waste stored in the flats’ entrance, a shared rear exit through the shop |
| Mansion blocks | Original panelled doors that predate modern fire door standards, letterplates without fire-rated liners, furniture and plants on landings |
| Purpose-built blocks | Holes through riser and corridor walls left by cabling contractors, smoke vents with no maintenance records, bin stores beside the main entrance, combustible doormats and displays in corridors |
Where a shop or restaurant sits below the flats, the business needs its own commercial fire risk assessment, and the two responsible persons should share their findings and cooperate.
What happens after the assessment?
You receive the full written assessment, a prioritised action plan and the resident information summary. Most actions fall into three groups: management fixes such as clearing storage, maintenance such as servicing alarms and emergency lighting, and building work such as fire stopping or door replacement.
Flat entrance doors need particular care. The lease decides who owns and repairs them, but the Fire Safety Act 2021 means the communal assessment must consider them either way. Write to leaseholders about doors that need attention and keep copies; in a building over 11 metres, those letters form part of your best-endeavours evidence. A fire door inspection gives you a door-by-door record to work from.
Communal assessments cost £119 inc. VAT for one storey, rising to £225 for four storeys, and a studio flat assessment is £79. For more background, read our guide to fire risk assessments for flats and HMOs in London, or request a quote with the number of storeys and flats. Fire risk assessments are carried out by NEBOSH-qualified fire risk assessors.
Flats and communal area fire risk assessment prices (inc. VAT)
| Option | Price (inc. VAT) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Studio flat | £79 | Assessment of an individual studio flat |
| Communal areas, 1 storey | £119 | Shared entrance and hallway on one level |
| Communal areas, 2 storeys | £149 | Hallway and stairs across two floors, typical of a converted house |
| Communal areas, 3 storeys | £189 | Larger conversions and small blocks |
| Communal areas, 4 storeys | £225 | Four-storey blocks and larger conversions |
All prices include VAT. Blocks of five or more storeys are quoted individually. Central London parking or Congestion Charge may be added; we always confirm before booking.
Book this serviceWhat's included
- Inspection of shared hallways, stairs, landings and service cupboards
- Visual check of every flat entrance door from the common side
- Review of the evacuation strategy (stay put or simultaneous)
- Note of the duties that apply under the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022
- Summary of fire safety information to share with residents
- Full written report naming the assessor, as section 156 requires
- Prioritised action plan for the freeholder or managing agent
How it works
Building details
Tell us the number of storeys and flats, roughly how tall the building is, and send any previous assessment so we can price and plan the visit.
Common parts inspection
We walk every shared area, open service cupboards, check flat entrance doors from the landing, and look at alarms, lighting, signage and storage.
Report and resident information
You get the full written assessment, a prioritised action plan and the fire safety points residents must be told, typically emailed the same day.
Act and keep records
Complete the actions, write to leaseholders about door issues and keep dated records. We can return for reviews or fire door inspections.
Flats & Communal Areas FRA: frequently asked questions
Does a converted house with two flats need a fire risk assessment?
Yes, if the flats share an entrance hall, stairs or any other common area. The Fire Safety Order 2005 applies to those common parts however small the building, and the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 require fire safety information for residents in any building with two or more flats. If each flat has its own street door and nothing is shared, the position is different and we can advise.
Who is responsible for the communal fire risk assessment?
The person or organisation in control of the common parts: usually the freeholder, a residents' management company, a right to manage company, or a managing agent acting for one of them. Leaseholders are not normally responsible for the communal assessment, but they must cooperate, for example by allowing their flat entrance door to be checked and dealing with any door repairs the lease makes their responsibility.
Are flat entrance doors included in a communal fire risk assessment?
Yes. Since the Fire Safety Act 2021 came into force on 16 May 2022, flat entrance doors in multi-occupied residential buildings fall within the Fire Safety Order. We check each door from the common side: rating evidence, self-closer, seals, gaps and letterplate. In buildings over 11 metres, responsible persons must also use best endeavours to check flat entrance doors every year.
Can residents keep bikes, buggies or plants in the hallway?
Only if the assessment finds the risk acceptable, and in most London conversions it will not. A single stair is usually the only way out, so anything stored there can catch fire or block escape. Larger blocks with wide corridors sometimes allow limited, managed use. Charging e-bikes or scooters in the common parts should never be permitted.
What is the £79 studio flat fire risk assessment for?
It is a documented assessment of a single studio flat: alarms, cooking and heating, visible electrical hazards, the escape route out of the flat and the entrance door. Landlords use it when a letting agent, lender or freeholder asks for evidence about the individual flat. It does not replace the communal assessment, which remains the duty of the freeholder or managing agent.
Does the fire risk assessment cover external walls and cladding?
Partly. Since the Fire Safety Act 2021, external walls, windows and balconies are within the Fire Safety Order, so our assessment records what is visible, such as the type of cladding or balcony materials, and whether it affects the evacuation strategy. It is not an intrusive external wall survey. If anything raises concern, the report recommends a specialist appraisal before you rely on the strategy.
Sources and official guidance
Written and checked by the BritCertify technical team. Last reviewed 6 October 2026.