Fire Risk Assessment Birmingham
Birmingham’s premises range from Victorian back-street workshops in the Jewellery Quarter to student HMOs in Selly Oak and high-rise developments in the city centre, and a fire risk assessment needs to actually understand which of those it’s looking at. You can get a free fire risk assessment quote for your property today.
Who needs a fire risk assessment in Birmingham?
Fire risk assessments are a legal requirement for any non-domestic premises in the UK, and that applies across Birmingham without exception.
Shops, offices, HMOs, blocks of flats and commercial property all need an assessment, and it isn’t a one-off exercise. The Responsible Person must keep it under regular review, particularly after any change in how many people occupy the building.
A proper assessment establishes fire hazards, confirms escape routes actually work, and puts action plans in place, it’s what turns fire safety from a document into something the building can rely on.
Who can carry out your assessment
If someone within your organisation is genuinely competent, they can carry out the assessment themselves. If not, you’ll need a qualified fire risk assessor.
We hold BAFE SP205 certification, so competency isn’t something you’re taking on trust.
Areas we cover across Birmingham?
We cover all of Birmingham, and property types vary considerably by area. Coverage includes:
- Birmingham City Centre, including the Jewellery Quarter’s Victorian workshops and factories, many still in active use or converted to commercial and residential space, alongside modern high-rise development.
- Edgbaston
- Harborne
- Moseley
- Kings Heath
- Selly Oak (see below)
- Bournville
- Stirchley
- Erdington
- Sutton Coldfield
- Solihull
- Handsworth
- Aston
- Perry Barr
- Small Heath
- Sparkhill
- Sparkbrook
- Bordesley Green
- Saltley
- Ladywood, another area with a traditionally higher concentration of HMOs than much of the city.
If your area isn’t listed here, get in touch and we’ll confirm coverage
Fire risk assessments in Selly Oak
Selly Oak has one of the highest concentrations of student HMOs anywhere in Birmingham, driven by its proximity to the University of Birmingham. If you own or manage HMO stock in this area, your assessment should be working to BS 9792:2025, the current British Standard for housing fire risk assessments, not the older PAS 79-2 framework it replaced.
For HMOs and blocks of flats, which type of fire risk assessment you need depends on whether communal areas alone are in scope, or individual units too, a distinction that comes up often given how much of Birmingham’s HMO stock sits in converted period housing.
Our fire risk assessments for landlords and HMOs cover this in full, including the communal areas that shared HMO buildings bring with them.
What we look at in your assessment
- Fire hazards. What could realistically start a fire in this specific building, not a generic checklist.
People at risk. Not just occupants, but anyone who’d struggle to get out unassisted, and how that’s planned for rather than assumed. - Fire doors and escape routes. Kept clear and functioning. This matters particularly in Birmingham’s older converted terraces and workshop buildings, where original layouts often predate modern fire safety guidance by well over a century.
- Fire detection and alarms. Correctly specified for the building, properly maintained, and tested on a schedule rather than left until something goes wrong.
- Fire safety management. Training, drills, and how consistently records are kept, including for shared or communal areas.
What your assessment covers
The fire risk assessment process is the same wherever you’re based: an initial conversation about your property, a thorough on-site visit, and a report that sets out exactly what needs attention and in what order. For commercial and other non-housing premises, we work to PAS 79-1:2020, the recognised code of practice for structuring and recording fire risk assessments.
Between reviews, our inspection and maintenance checklist is there to keep things on track rather than let compliance slip until the next assessment.
Birmingham fire risk assessment cost
Our inspections start from £435 +VAT for buildings under 2,500 sq. ft. Premises over 30,000 sq. ft need a bespoke quote, contact us directly and we’ll put one together.
That price is fixed once quoted, with no add-ons once we’re on site. A lower headline figure elsewhere is worth checking against what it includes, and whether it’s tied to selling you equipment or follow-up work once the report lands.
Why choose FireRiskAssessments.com for Birmingham
BAFE SP205 certification and 750+ Trustpilot reviews say something about us, but the more telling detail is what we don’t do: sell or service fire safety equipment. There’s no financial incentive for us to find problems that aren’t there, or to miss ones that are.
Our team has grown from two full-time inspectors to a nationwide network of more than 35, most either retired or serving Fire and Rescue Service personnel.
- Fixed prices, confirmed before you book
- Reports built around what to fix first, not just a list
- Scheduling that works around your property
Birmingham fire risk assessment FAQs
Do I need a fire risk assessment for my Birmingham property?
If it’s a non-domestic premises, yes, regardless of area or property type.
Can I carry out the assessment myself?
Only if you can genuinely demonstrate competency. For most landlords and business owners, that’s a higher bar than expected, and a qualified assessor is the more defensible route.
Do you cover all of Birmingham?
Yes, across the whole city and into Solihull and Sutton Coldfield. See the areas listed above, or get in touch if you’re unsure.
I have an HMO licence, do I still need a fire risk assessment?
Yes. An HMO licence and a fire risk assessment cover different things; the licence is about the property’s suitability and management; the assessment is specifically about fire safety under the Fire Safety Order. Neither one replaces the other.
What happens if I don’t have a fire risk assessment?
You risk enforcement action from the fire authority, including notices requiring changes, and in serious cases prosecution. That’s before considering the actual safety of anyone in the building.
Book your Birmingham fire risk assessment
If you’re in the Birmingham area and need a fire risk assessment to keep your occupants and premises safe, and meet your legal obligations, we can help.
Get a free, fixed price quote, or contact us for a tailored conversation about your property.
See our 750+ reviews