How Much Does a Fire Risk Assessment Actually Cost?

This is usually the first question we get asked, and it's a fair one. Trouble is, anyone who gives you a single flat number without asking about your premises first is guessing — or worse, quoting you for something that won't hold up.

Why the price range is so wide

A Fire Risk Assessment for a small single-let office is a completely different job to one for a multi-storey HMO, a working hotel, or a warehouse with mezzanine storage. The things that actually drive cost:

• Size and layout of the premises — more floors, more rooms, more escape routes, more time
• Occupancy type — a shop with a handful of staff is a much simpler assessment than a hotel with overnight guests, or an HMO with vulnerable tenants
• Complexity of existing fire safety measures — a building with a properly documented fire strategy already in place is quicker to assess than one where nobody's ever looked at it
• Number of fire doors, exits, and shared areas to check individually
• How far we have to travel — we work UK-wide, so location can factor in

Why the cheapest quote often costs more later

We see this pattern constantly: a landlord gets a rock-bottom quote from someone who's in and out in twenty minutes with a generic template, £150 lighter, and a certificate that looks the part. Then the fire service actually inspects the premises, and it turns out the assessment doesn't reflect reality — wrong occupancy figures, missed hazards, generic recommendations that don't apply to the actual building.

At that point you're paying twice: once for the assessment that didn't hold up, and again for the one that actually needs doing properly, usually under time pressure with an enforcement deadline attached.

A genuine assessment takes time on site, a proper understanding of how the building's actually used, and a written report specific to your premises — not a template with your address swapped in.

What a fair price reflects

You're not really paying for a piece of paper. You're paying for:

• Someone qualified actually walking the building and identifying real hazards
• A report that would hold up if the fire service asked to see it
• Practical, proportionate recommendations — not a generic list that ignores your budget or your building
• Someone you can call when something changes and ask whether it affects your compliance

Getting an accurate quote

The only way to get a genuinely accurate price is to have a quick conversation about your premises — size, use, occupancy, and what (if anything) exists already. We keep this process quick and straightforward; no need for a lengthy back-and-forth just to get a number.

Fire Check Scotland prices assessments based on your actual premises, not a one-size-fits-all rate card. Get in touch and we'll give you a proper, accurate quote.