Compliance & enforcement
Fire safety documents requested for a sale, lease or refinance
A sale, lease or refinance has triggered a request for fire safety documentation.
Book within days
Short answer
Expect requests for the current fire risk assessment, alarm and extinguisher servicing records, fire door evidence, and — for larger residential buildings — the records required by the 2022 regulations. Assembling these late is a common cause of delay.
The bundle you will be asked for
- Current fire risk assessment, dated and signed.
- Action plan showing findings and their completion.
- Fire alarm servicing certificate and log book.
- Extinguisher servicing record.
- Fire door inspection records where applicable.
- Emergency lighting test records.
Where transactions stall
The delay is rarely caused by a defect being found. It is caused by nobody being able to locate documents, by an assessment being years old, or by an action plan with open items and no explanation. Any of those triggers a second round of enquiries and weeks of correspondence.
Getting ahead of it
If a transaction is planned, commission the assessment and servicing before the enquiries arrive. A recent report with a closed action plan turns a difficult enquiry into a single attachment. Where issues are found, having a quoted and scheduled remedy is a far stronger position than silence.
Buying rather than selling
On acquisition, the responsibility transfers with the building. A pre-purchase assessment tells you what you are inheriting and what it will cost to put right — useful information before contracts, not after.
Questions we get asked about this
Is a fire risk assessment legally required for a sale?
The requirement comes from the Fire Safety Order for the premises itself, not from the transaction. But buyers, lenders and insurers routinely ask for it as part of due diligence.
How quickly can documents be produced?
The site visit is the fixed element. Tell us the deadline and we will confirm honestly whether it fits.
Can you assess a property before I buy it?
Yes, with the current owner's access arrangements in place.
Working to a completion date? Tell us the date first and we will confirm what is realistic.
Other common fire safety problems
Fire alarms
Fire alarm keeps beeping — what the sound is telling you
Fire alarms
Repeated false alarms — finding the cause instead of living with it
Fire alarms
Amber fault light on the fire alarm panel — how to read it
Fire doors
Fire door gaps that are too big — tolerances and remedies
Need a Fire Risk Assessment?
Stay compliant and protect your premises. Get a free, no-obligation quote within 24 hours.