Guide prices · Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland
What a fire risk assessment
actually costs
Short answer
£180 – £600
for most small and medium premises. A single shop sits at the bottom of that band and a care home at the top. The two things that move it most are floor area and whether anyone sleeps in the building.
By type of premises
8 building types · England & Wales
| Premises | Guide | Why it sits there |
|---|---|---|
| Small shop, salon or takeaway | £180–£280 | One unit, one floor, nobody sleeping there and a single way out. The shortest assessment there is. |
| Office suite on one floor | £200–£320 | Low ignition risk and a known headcount, but more rooms and more escape route to walk than a single shop. |
| Restaurant or café | £240–£400 | A commercial kitchen is the ignition source, and the assessor has to look at extraction, suppression and how customers get out past it. |
| Shop or office with a flat above | £260–£420 | The moment someone sleeps above a commercial ground floor the standard rises: separation, protected escape and detection linking both uses. |
| Warehouse or industrial unit | £260–£450 | Priced mostly on floor area and travel distances. Racking height, stored materials and any process risk push it up. |
| Block of flats, common parts | £300–£500 | Sleeping risk, a communal escape route, and fire doors to inspect. Above 11 metres the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 add duties that lengthen the job. |
| Pub, hotel or venue | £350–£600 | Sleeping guests who do not know the building, alcohol, late hours and a licence that depends on getting this right. |
| Care or medical premises | £400–£600 | The highest standard of the lot: occupants who cannot self-evacuate, so the assessment has to deal with progressive horizontal evacuation and staffing levels. |
These are our published guide bands, reasoned from the factors listed below — not a survey of what firms in Leicester charge. Fire risk assessment is not a regulated price and no scale of fees exists. The firm we pass your enquiry to sets its own.
The other duties
Same building, different obligations
| HMO Fire Risk Assessment per property | £150–£400 | Reviewed regularly; licence conditions commonly expect an annual review |
| Fire Door Inspection per survey | £200–£650 | Communal doors quarterly and flat entrance doors annually, in residential buildings above 11 metres |
| Fire Alarm Servicing per service visit | £90–£250 | At intervals not exceeding six months, alongside the occupier's weekly call point test |
| Legionella Risk Assessment per assessment | £200–£500 | Reviewed regularly, and whenever the water system or the way it is used changes |
| Commercial EPC per certificate | £150–£500 | Valid for ten years, or until a newer certificate replaces it |
| Fire Compartmentation Survey per survey | £500–£2500 | When the fire risk assessment cannot confirm compartmentation is intact |
What actually moves the price
Five things decide where a building lands in the band, and they are the same five an assessor uses to scope the job:
- floor area and number of storeys
- whether anyone sleeps on the premises
- number and complexity of escape routes
- how the building is used and by how many people
- age of the building and whether it has been altered
What a low quote usually means
A price well under the band is rarely the same product. It usually buys a template, a desktop exercise without a proper walk of the escape routes, or someone with no experience of your building type. Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 the duty to appoint a competent person stays with you — so if an inspector disagrees with the assessment, the problem is yours and not the assessor's. That is the whole reason the cheap version is the expensive one.
What you should be quoted for
An assessment produces significant findings and a prioritised action plan. It does not include putting anything right — doors, alarms, emergency lighting and signage are quoted separately, often by a different firm. Since section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022 commenced on 1 October 2023 the written record is part of the job, not an extra, so any quote should already include a report you can hand to an inspector.
Questions about the money
7 answers
How much does a fire risk assessment cost?
For most small and medium premises the guide band is £180 to £600. A single shop or salon sits at the bottom, a care home or a hotel at the top. The two things that move it most are floor area and whether anyone sleeps in the building — sleeping risk raises the standard the assessor has to work to, and that takes longer.
Why do quotes vary so much for the same building?
Fire risk assessment is not a regulated price and there is no fixed scale of fees. Firms differ in how much time they allocate, whether the fee includes a return visit or a review, how detailed the action plan is, and what their insurance costs them. A quote is not comparable until you know what is in it.
Is a cheap fire risk assessment a false economy?
Often, yes. A price well under the band usually buys a template, a desktop exercise, or someone without experience of your building type. The duty to appoint a competent person stays with you under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, so if the enforcing authority disagrees with the assessment, the problem is yours, not the assessor's.
Does the price include putting the problems right?
No. An assessment identifies significant findings and gives you a prioritised action plan. The remedial work — doors, alarms, emergency lighting, signage — is quoted separately, often by a different firm. Ask before you book whether the fee includes any follow-up review once the work is done.
How often will I be paying for this?
The Fire Safety Order requires the assessment to be reviewed regularly and after any material change to the building or how it is used. Many premises settle into an annual review, which usually costs less than the first full assessment because the assessor already knows the building. There is no statutory annual fee.
Do I have to pay for the report to be recorded?
Recording is part of the job, not an extra. Since section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022 commenced on 1 October 2023 the Responsible Person must record the assessment in full, whatever the size of the business, so any quote should already include a written report you can hand to an inspector.
What should a quote actually tell me?
Who is carrying out the assessment and what their experience is with your building type, what standard they work to, whether the fee covers the whole premises or only part of it, what the report will contain, and what a review costs later. If a firm will not put that in writing before you book, that is information too.
Sources and review
Checked against Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, Building Safety Act 2022 s.156, PAS 79-1:2020 and BS 9792:2025 on . We recheck this page against the legislation quarterly, and sooner if the law changes. Spotted something wrong? Tell us at enquiries@leicesterfireriskassessment.co.uk and we will correct it.
This page is general information about fire safety law in England and Wales. It is not a fire risk assessment and it is not legal advice. Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 the Responsible Person must ensure an assessment is carried out by a competent person.