How to choose a fire risk assessor
Last reviewed 23 August 2026
Look for third-party certification, and understand what it does and does not tell you. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires the responsible person to appoint a competent person, and then never defines competence, which is why a certification scheme is the only checkable proxy. BAFE SP205 is the main one: organisations on the BAFE register have been audited by a UKAS-accredited certification body, which is a check on the organisation rather than on the individual who turns up. What it does not do is make the assessment somebody else’s problem. The duty under the Order stays with the responsible person, which is almost always you.
The accreditations that matter
What each one actually means, rather than the logo.
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BAFE SP205
Third-party certification for life safety fire risk assessment. Organisations on the BAFE register have been audited by a UKAS-accredited certification body.
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A named, qualified assessor
Certification sits with the organisation. Ask which individual will attend, what their qualification is, and who validates their report.
Sources
Every claim above is checked against the primary text, and the date is the day we last opened it.
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1
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
legislation.gov.uk Primary text read and checked Checked 22 August 2026
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2
BAFE SP205, life safety fire risk assessment
BAFE Fire Safety Register Primary text read and checked Checked 22 August 2026