There's no fixed legal interval — and that surprises people who expect a neat annual deadline. The Fire Safety Order doesn't set a number. What it requires is that you keep your fire risk assessment under review, and act when something changes. Here's what that means in practice.
What the law actually says
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (Article 9(3)) requires the Responsible Person to review the fire risk assessment regularly to keep it up to date — and in particular if there's reason to suspect it's no longer valid, or if there's been a significant change to the premises or how they're used. There's no statutory "every 12 months" rule — the trigger is change and continued validity, not the calendar.
What counts as a "significant change"
A review is due when something about the building or how it's used has moved on from what the assessment describes:
- Building or layout changes — a new partition, a converted space, an altered or obstructed escape route.
- A change in use or occupancy — more people, sleeping accommodation added, a different type of tenant or resident.
- An incident or near-miss — a fire, however small, or anything that exposed a gap.
- New furnishings, materials or processes that change the fuel load or introduce new ignition sources.
Any of these can make an existing assessment out of date overnight — which is why "when did it last change?" is a more useful question than "when was it last dated?"
Where the "annual review" idea comes from
You'll often hear that a fire risk assessment should be reviewed every year. That's a sensible, widely-used convention — many insurers and guidance documents expect it — but it's a convention, not a statutory minimum. An annual review is good discipline; it just isn't the legal test. The legal test is whether the assessment still reflects the building.
Higher-risk premises change more often
Some premises warrant more frequent review in practice. Care homes and HMOs — with sleeping risk, higher turnover, and occupants who can't always evacuate quickly — tend to change more often and carry more consequence when they do. The sector guides go into what that looks like.