Workplaces, public premises, paying guests and residential common parts across Kent
Fire Risk Assessment in Kent
Define the Responsible Person, premises and people at risk before booking the assessment
Send the Kent postcode, premises use and control, floor area and storeys, occupancy, sleeping or vulnerable people, evacuation strategy, existing assessment and actions, fire-safety systems, access and deadline. Upkeepone will use those facts to qualify the competent-assessor route and written report scope.
Start with control of the premises
The Responsible Person keeps the legal duty even when an assessor assists
Employer and anyone with control
The employer is normally a Responsible Person. Owners, occupiers, facilities managers, landlords or contractors can also hold duties to the extent of their control.
More than one Responsible Person
Each party must identify its area of control, exchange relevant information and co-operate and co-ordinate so gaps between demises and common parts are not ignored.
Competence must match the risk
Record the assessor's identity and organisation. The Responsible Person must still ensure that the assessment is suitable and sufficient and act on the findings.
Match the guide and competence to the premises
A small shop, sleeping accommodation and a block of flats are not the same assessment
Office, shop or ordinary workplace
Identify work activities, staff and visitors, ignition and fuel sources, escape, warning, firefighting, management and maintenance. More complex processes need additional competence.
Restaurant, pub, hotel or paying guests
State cooking, late hours, alcohol licence, sleeping accommodation, guest familiarity, occupancy and vulnerable people. A generic office assessment is not enough.
Warehouse, workshop or hazardous process
Declare storage, racking, hot work, batteries, flammables, dangerous substances, machinery, vehicles, shift patterns and contractors before assessor competence is agreed.
Common parts of flats
Confirm storeys, height, number of homes, evacuation strategy, structure, external walls, balconies, flat entrance doors, shared systems and the responsible parties.
Higher residential building
Additional Fire Safety (England) Regulations, Building Safety Act and residential evacuation-plan duties may apply. Building height and strategy are decisive inputs.
Construction, alteration or unusual premises
Occupied building works, temporary arrangements, heritage, healthcare, education, assembly and other specialised uses need the relevant technical guide and enforcement context.
Suitable and sufficient scope
The assessment joins physical precautions with the way people use and manage the premises
Ignition, fuel and oxygen
Electrics, heating, cooking, smoking, hot work, machinery, batteries, waste, displays, furnishings, flammables and dangerous substances.
Who could be harmed?
Staff, visitors, contractors, lone workers, sleeping occupants, children, older people and anyone whose ability to recognise or escape fire is impaired.
Escape and warning
Travel routes, exits, doors, compartmentation, detection, alarm, emergency lighting, signs, firefighting equipment and access for the fire service.
Plans, training and records
Emergency plan, roles, drills, information, maintenance, testing, housekeeping, permits, contractor control and progress on previous actions.
Quote-ready in four steps
Define the premises, people, records and access before requesting a date
Identify the dutyholders
Give the Responsible Person, owner, employer, landlord, agent and occupier details, areas of control and other parties sharing the building.
Describe the premises
Send use, floor area, floors and basements, height, construction, occupancy hours, maximum numbers, sleeping use and special processes.
Send existing information
Provide the latest assessment and actions, plans, emergency strategy, alarm, lighting, door, extinguisher and maintenance records, plus known incidents or notices.
Confirm access and changes
State keys, occupied areas, plant and roof access, parking, inductions, recent or planned work, deadline and who can answer operational questions on site.
Current recording duty
Do not rely on the old five-employee threshold
Every Responsible Person must record the full assessment and fire-safety arrangements
Section 156 changes took effect on 1 October 2023. Current Home Office guidance says the completed fire risk assessment, including all findings, and the fire-safety arrangements must be recorded in all circumstances for premises regulated by the Fire Safety Order.
Record the identity of any person and organisation engaged to undertake or review the assessment. Keep Responsible Person contact information current, co-operate with other Responsible Persons, share applicable information with residents and incoming dutyholders, and maintain a continuing fire-safety record.
A template or short checklist is not automatically suitable and sufficient. The depth must match the premises, people and risks, and the Responsible Person must be able to show how findings are being managed.
Residential buildings need the precise route
Common-parts assessment, building regulations and evacuation planning are related but separate duties
For buildings containing two or more homes, the Fire Safety Order applies to the common parts. The Fire Safety Act clarified that the structure, external walls, balconies and flat entrance doors between homes and common parts must be considered where applicable.
Additional duties depend on building height, storeys, evacuation strategy and installed facilities. From 6 April 2026, specified residential buildings must follow the Residential PEEPs process for residents who may need assistance and prepare a building emergency evacuation plan. This page does not assume every block is in scope.
Written assessment and action plan
The report should make ownership, evidence, limitations and next actions clear
Premises and dutyholder record
Address, scope, use, Responsible Person, other dutyholders, assessor identity, assessment date, people consulted, information reviewed and areas that were inaccessible or outside scope.
Hazards and people at risk
Relevant ignition and fuel sources, dangerous substances, people exposed, vulnerable or sleeping occupants and circumstances that affect their ability to recognise or escape fire.
Existing preventive and protective measures
Escape, doors and compartmentation, detection and warning, emergency lighting, firefighting equipment, signs, management, information, training, testing and maintenance.
Prioritised action plan
Required actions, risk or priority, responsible owner and target date. Specialist alarm, electrical, door, structural, external-wall or other investigation should be identified rather than guessed.
Keep the assessment alive
Review regularly and whenever the assessment may no longer be valid
There is no single universal expiry period that turns every fire risk assessment into a yearly certificate. Record the review date and rationale appropriate to the premises, track the action plan and bring the review forward when a significant change or new information demands it.
Kent coverage qualified by premises
Kent fire risk assessment enquiries for workplaces, landlords and shared buildings
Enquiries can include Maidstone, Medway, Dartford, Gravesham, Sevenoaks, Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells, Canterbury, Ashford, Folkestone, Dover, Thanet and surrounding locations. Attendance depends on the postcode, premises type, size and complexity, occupancy, access, deadline and competent-assessor availability.
Regular work also covers London and Essex. Hertfordshire, Surrey, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Sussex can be considered when the right trade is available. Other areas are considered by request.
Primary guidance
Check current fire-safety duties at source
GOV.UK: fire risk assessment stepsHazards, people, risk reduction, recording, emergency planning, training and review.
Home Office: Section 156 dutiesFull recording, assessor identity, fire-safety arrangements, contact information and handover duties.
Home Office: Fire Safety Act 2021Structure, external walls, balconies and flat entrance doors in multi-occupied residential buildings.
Home Office: Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022Additional duties for Responsible Persons of relevant residential buildings.
Home Office: Residential PEEPs from 6 April 2026Scope, person-centred assessments, evacuation statements, information sharing and building plans.
Before requesting a date
Fire risk assessment Kent FAQs
Who is responsible for arranging a fire risk assessment?
Which Kent premises normally fall within the Fire Safety Order?
Must every fire risk assessment now be recorded in writing?
Can the Responsible Person complete the assessment themselves?
What should a fire risk assessment consider?
Is a fire risk assessment a pass certificate?
How often must a fire risk assessment be reviewed?
What must be considered for blocks of flats?
What changed for residential evacuation plans in April 2026?
Which areas can Upkeepone consider for fire risk assessments?
Ready to request a Kent FRA quote?
Send the premises, Responsible Person, people at risk, existing records, access and deadline
Upkeepone will review the premises route, complexity, residential duties, scope and competent-assessor availability before attendance and pricing are agreed.
