London is one of the busiest, most densely built cities in the world. Offices sit above shops, flats sit above restaurants, and Victorian terraces have been carved into HMOs and converted flats. Thousands of people live, work and sleep in buildings that were never designed for the way they're used today.
That's exactly why fire risk assessments matter so much here.
I've spent 27 years in the UK Fire Service and around 20 years assessing buildings. In that time I've seen how quickly a small, overlooked problem can turn into something serious. A propped-open fire door. A blocked escape route. A storage cupboard full of combustible rubbish. An e-bike charging in a communal hallway. None of these look dramatic on a normal day. In a fire, they can be the difference between everyone getting out and someone not.
What is a fire risk assessment?
A fire risk assessment is a careful, structured look at your premises to:
- Identify fire hazards – what could start a fire and what could fuel it
- Identify the people at risk – staff, residents, visitors, and anyone who might need extra help to escape
- Evaluate the risk and put sensible measures in place to reduce it
- Record what you've found and the actions you're taking
- Plan for emergencies, and make sure people know what to do
- Review it regularly so it stays up to date
It isn't about ticking boxes. It's about understanding how a fire could start in your building, how it would spread, and how everyone would get out safely.
The law: who needs one?
Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the "Responsible Person" for almost any non-domestic premises in England must carry out and maintain a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment. That includes:
- Offices, shops and restaurants
- Pubs, hotels and guest houses
- Warehouses and factories
- Schools, nurseries and care homes
- Places of worship and community buildings
- The communal areas of blocks of flats and HMOs – corridors, stairways, plant rooms and so on
The Responsible Person is usually the employer, the business owner, the landlord, the freeholder or the managing agent – whoever has control of the premises.
The rules have tightened considerably in recent years:
- The Fire Safety Act 2021 made it clear that, in residential buildings with two or more homes, the assessment must also cover the building's structure, external walls (including cladding and balconies) and flat entrance doors.
- The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 brought in new duties for many blocks of flats, such as giving residents fire safety information, checking fire doors and, in taller buildings, sharing floor plans and building information with the fire and rescue service.
- Section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022, in force since 1 October 2023, means every Responsible Person must now record their fire risk assessment in full – no matter how small the business – along with their fire safety arrangements and the name of whoever carried out the assessment. The assessment must also be reviewed regularly to keep it up to date.
In short, "we've got a fire extinguisher and we've never had a problem" is no longer good enough. You need it written down, and you need to be able to show it.
Why London is different
The law is the same across England, but the risks in London are not. Here's why the capital deserves particular attention.
Density and mixed use
In London, very different uses are often stacked on top of each other: a takeaway on the ground floor, offices on the first, flats above. A fire that starts in one part of a building can quickly affect people in another who had nothing to do with it. That's why co-operation between Responsible Persons in shared buildings is so important – and why it's now a legal requirement to share information.
Older and converted buildings
London has a huge stock of period properties that have been converted, extended and altered many times over. Each alteration can create gaps in compartmentation – the walls, floors and doors that are supposed to hold back fire and smoke. Hidden voids, poorly fitted fire doors and holes made for cables and pipes are things I find again and again in older buildings.
High-rise living
The Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, which claimed 72 lives, changed fire safety in this country for good. Much of the new legislation exists because of it. If you are responsible for a block of flats, the expectations on you are now far higher, and rightly so.
Lithium-ion batteries
This is the fastest-growing fire risk in the capital. According to London Fire Brigade data, there were 521 fires involving lithium-ion batteries in London in 2025, up 28% on the year before. Those fires injured 109 people and killed three. E-bike and e-scooter fires alone hit a record 206 in 2025.
For landlords, managing agents and employers, that means your fire risk assessment needs to consider where e-bikes and e-scooters are stored and charged – especially in communal hallways and escape routes.
A busy fire service
The London Fire Brigade is attending more incidents than ever – up by a third since 2017. Its firefighters do an outstanding job, but the best fire is always the one that never starts. Good fire risk management keeps your building off their call list.
What happens if you don't have one?
Fire safety in London is enforced by the London Fire Brigade. If your premises fall short, you could face:
- Informal advice or a notice of deficiencies
- An enforcement notice requiring you to make improvements by a set date
- A prohibition notice restricting or stopping the use of your premises – sometimes with immediate effect
- Prosecution, with unlimited fines and, in the most serious cases, imprisonment
There are other costs too. Insurers may refuse claims if you can't show proper fire risk management. Leaseholders, tenants and clients increasingly ask to see your assessment. And if the worst does happen, you'll have to show that you did everything reasonably practicable to keep people safe.
How often should it be reviewed?
The law says your fire risk assessment must be reviewed regularly. As a rule of thumb, I'd recommend a review at least once a year, and straight away if:
- You make building works or alterations
- The use of the building changes
- The number or type of occupants changes – for example, someone with limited mobility joins your team
- There's a fire, a near miss or a significant incident
- You have reason to think the current assessment is no longer valid
Higher-risk premises, such as HMOs, hotels, care homes and blocks of flats, often need reviewing more frequently.
Choosing a competent fire risk assessor
You can carry out a fire risk assessment yourself if you're competent to do so. For a small, simple, low-risk premises, that may be realistic. But for most London buildings – particularly anything residential, multi-storey, mixed-use or old – you'll want a professional.
Since Section 156, you must record who carried out your assessment, so it pays to choose carefully. Look for an assessor who:
- Has real experience of buildings like yours
- Holds recognised qualifications or is on a professional register
- Carries appropriate professional indemnity insurance
- Gives you a clear, practical action plan, not just a long list of problems
- Will explain the findings in plain English
How Whale Fire can help
At Whale Fire, we carry out fire risk assessments across London and the rest of the UK, for offices, shops, hotels, blocks of flats, HMOs, housing associations and more.
Our approach is common sense, pragmatic and client-friendly. We'll tell you what really matters, what can wait, and what doesn't need doing at all. You'll get a clear, fully written assessment that meets the latest legal requirements – and an action plan you can actually work through.
- Highly trained and qualified assessors
- Over 20 years' experience of assessing buildings
- Backed by 27 years' frontline experience in the UK Fire Service
- No tie-in contracts
Book your fire risk assessment today. Get a free, no-obligation quote.
?? 0800 772 0738
?? info@whalefire.co.uk
Richard Whale is the founder of Whale Fire Ltd and a Watch Commander with 27 years in the UK Fire Service.
Sources
- London Assembly Research Unit – London Fire Brigade Data Analysis (March 2026): https://www.london.gov.uk/who-we-are/what-london-assembly-does/london-assembly-research-unit-publications/london-fire-brigade
- LBC – E-bike and e-scooter fires in London reach record high: https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/e-bike-e-scooter-fires-london-record-high-5HjdRW6_2/
- Building Safety Act 2022, Section 156: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2022/30/section/156
