Type 1 Fire Risk Assessment Explained

A Type 1 FRA examines the common parts of a purpose-built block of flats without destructive inspection.

It is commonly used to support compliance with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 in England and Wales. The classification comes from recognised guidance for purpose-built blocks of flats rather than being one of four separate assessment categories created directly by legislation.

The terminology is not a universal classification for offices, factories, schools or other non-residential premises. It should also not be assumed that the legal position is identical across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

For the differences between the four UK jurisdictions, see Fire Risk Assessment Legal Requirements Across the UK.

The objective of a Type 1 assessment is to evaluate the risk to people from fire and determine whether the precautions and management arrangements in the relevant parts of the building are adequate.

For the wider assessment process, including legal responsibilities, competence, reporting and action planning, see Fire Risk Assessments in the UK: The Complete Guide.

Type 1 terminology is principally associated with purpose-built blocks of flats.

It should not automatically be applied to:

• Houses converted into flats
• Former commercial or industrial buildings converted to residential use
• Buildings originally designed for another purpose
• Unusual mixed-use conversions
• Individual houses in multiple occupation
• Offices, shops, warehouses or other workplaces

Converted buildings may have different construction, escape routes and compartmentation arrangements from purpose-built blocks. The relevant premises-specific guidance and assessment methodology should be confirmed before the instruction is issued.

A client should not request a Type 1 FRA simply because a building contains several flats. The assessor or tender scope should establish whether the classification is appropriate for the building’s original design and current use.

The inspection is centred on areas used or controlled collectively rather than the private living accommodation inside each flat.

Depending on the building, the assessor may examine:

• Communal entrance halls
• Corridors, lobbies and stairways
• Final exits and external escape routes
• Communal fire doors
• A sample of flat entrance doors
• Service cupboards and accessible risers
• Plant, electrical and meter rooms
• Bin stores and refuse arrangements
• Emergency lighting and signage
• Smoke-control systems
• Fire alarms where provided
• Dry or wet risers and other firefighting facilities
• Fire-safety notices and resident information
• Maintenance, testing and management records

The assessor should also consider how the building is managed, including housekeeping, contractor controls, resident communication, defect reporting and arrangements for maintaining fire-safety systems.

The precise inspection boundary should be stated before appointment. A quotation described only as a “Type 1 FRA” may still leave uncertainty about external areas, separate blocks, plant rooms, car parks and ancillary accommodation.

Yes. A Type 1 assessment should include examination of at least a sample of flat entrance doors.

The assessor may consider visible matters such as:

• Whether the door appears to provide suitable fire resistance
• Whether it closes effectively
• The apparent condition of the frame and seals
• Glazing, letter plates and other openings
• Obvious damage or alteration
• Whether the door protects the communal escape route

The assessor does not normally enter the flat beyond the immediate entrance-door area as part of a Type 1 assessment. A Type 3 assessment, by comparison, includes non-destructive inspection within a sample of flats.

A Type 1 FRA is not the same as a detailed door-by-door inspection. Where the client needs every relevant door recorded, inspected and assigned a repair action, a separate fire door survey may be required.

In England, multi-occupied residential buildings over 11 metres in height are also subject to separate requirements for quarterly checks of communal fire doors and best-endeavours annual checks of flat entrance doors.

These routine checks do not replace the fire risk assessment. Equally, sampling entrance doors during an FRA does not necessarily satisfy the separate requirement to check all relevant doors at the required frequency.

A non-destructive assessment does not normally involve cutting into walls, removing fixed ceilings or opening the building fabric to expose hidden construction.

The assessor relies on:

• Visual inspection
• Accessible records and plans
• Visible construction details
• Information supplied by the client
• Reasonably accessible cupboards, risers and voids
• Evidence from previous works or surveys

A Type 1 inspection may still include lifting a sample of readily accessible demountable ceiling tiles or opening accessible service risers where this can be done without damaging fixed construction.

This does not turn the assessment into a Type 2 destructive inspection.

Clients should therefore avoid describing a Type 1 FRA as a purely superficial inspection. The assessor must examine visible and accessible evidence sufficiently to form reasonable conclusions about the risk.

Unless specifically added to the commission, a Type 1 assessment does not normally include:

• General inspection inside the living accommodation of flats
• Destructive opening-up of fixed construction
• A complete fire-door survey
• A comprehensive compartmentation survey
• Detailed testing of fire alarms or emergency lighting
• Opening every riser, ceiling void or service enclosure
• Design of remedial works
• Preparation of contractor-ready repair schedules
• Asbestos surveys
• Assessment of residents’ personal belongings or behaviour inside flats

The assessment may identify concerns in these areas and recommend further investigation.

For example, visible breaches around service penetrations may suggest wider compartmentation problems. The correct next step may be a specialist fire-stopping or compartmentation survey rather than automatically commissioning a Type 2 FRA.

The recommendation should explain what evidence has created concern and what further investigation is intended to establish.

A Type 1 assessment is normally suitable where:

• The building is a purpose-built block of flats
• The common areas can be inspected without destructive work
• There is no evidence of serious hidden compartmentation failures
• The construction and alteration history is reasonably understood
• Previous assessments have not identified unresolved structural concerns
• The client requires a standard assessment of common-part life safety
• Access inside flats is not needed to evaluate risks within the private accommodation

The age of a building does not by itself prove that destructive inspection is necessary.

More intrusive assessment should not be recommended as a generic upgrade. There should be identified issues that create a reasonable basis for doubting the adequacy of the building’s structural fire protection.

A Type 1 FRA may identify the need for further work where there is evidence of:

• Significant or repeated compartmentation defects
• Poor or missing fire stopping around services
• Unrecorded refurbishment or conversion work
• Fire damage affecting separating construction
• Major layout alterations
• Widespread replacement of flat entrance doors
• Inaccessible areas central to the assessment
• Conflicting drawings or building information
• Defects that cannot be evaluated visually
• A building whose original construction or use is unclear

The assessor should explain why further investigation is required and what question it needs to answer.

A recommendation stating only “undertake a Type 2 FRA” may be too vague. The report should identify:

• The evidence causing concern
• The locations requiring investigation
• The suggested sampling approach
• Whether access to flats is required
• Whether a specialist compartmentation survey would be more appropriate

For guidance on evaluating the resulting report, see What Should a Fire Risk Assessment Report Include?.

Before the visit, provide the assessor with:

• Existing fire risk assessments
• Building plans and fire strategies
• Details of the evacuation strategy
• Fire-door and compartmentation reports
• Alarm, emergency-lighting and smoke-control records
• Information about previous refurbishment
• Known access limitations
• Outstanding fire-safety actions
• Records of relevant incidents or defects

Arrange access to plant rooms, service cupboards, roofs, basements, bin stores and any other common areas included in the scope.

The assessor should be told about known problems rather than expected to discover every historic issue through visual inspection alone.

See How to Prepare for a Fire Risk Assessment for a complete pre-visit checklist.

Although Type 1 is the least intrusive of the four recognised assessment types, the assessor still needs relevant residential-building experience.

When comparing Fire Risk Assessment Companies, consider:

• Experience of purpose-built residential blocks
• Understanding of stay-put and simultaneous evacuation strategies
• Knowledge of flat entrance doors and compartmentation
• Relevant qualifications and professional development
• Third-party certification or registration
• The named assessor who will attend
• Proposed site time
• Report quality and technical review
• Professional indemnity insurance
• Assumptions and exclusions

A provider experienced mainly in small workplaces may not automatically have the knowledge required to assess the construction and management principles of a residential block.

Further selection guidance is available in How to Choose a Fire Risk Assessor.

A structured tender should define:

• Building address, height and number of storeys
• Number of flats and communal cores
• Whether the block is purpose-built or converted
• Evacuation strategy
• Areas included and excluded
• Ancillary rooms and external areas
• Access arrangements
• Available plans and previous reports
• Number or proportion of entrance doors to be sampled
• Required report and action-plan format
• Required photographs and risk ratings
• Named-assessor competence requirements
• Report turnaround and review arrangements
• Pricing assumptions, travel and VAT

Bidders should explain their proposed time on site, methodology, sampling approach and arrangements for inaccessible areas.

If every assessor receives different building information, the resulting prices may represent materially different levels of service.

See How Commercial Fire Protection Tendering Works for guidance on issuing a consistent scope and comparing submissions.

The wider procurement framework is covered in Fire Protection Tenders in the UK: The Complete Guide.

Common mistakes include:

• Using Type 1 terminology for buildings that are not purpose-built blocks of flats
• Automatically applying the classification to converted houses or mixed-use conversions
• Assuming non-destructive means superficial
• Expecting every flat to be entered
• Treating a sample of entrance doors as a full door survey
• Failing to provide previous compartmentation information
• Automatically demanding a Type 2 assessment because the block is old
• Comparing quotations based on different inspection boundaries
• Omitting plant rooms, bin stores or external areas from the brief
• Treating the FRA as a detailed remedial specification
• Failing to act on recommendations for further investigation

The scope should enable the assessor to evaluate the building while remaining clear about what has not been inspected.

For clients and managing organisations

Use Fire Risk Assessment Companies to compare providers with relevant experience of purpose-built residential blocks.

Provide every bidder with the same building information, inspection boundaries and reporting requirements so competence, methodology and price can be assessed consistently.

For fire risk assessors and consultancies

View Fire Risk Assessment Tenders for opportunities with defined premises information and assessment requirements.

Clear Type 1 scopes allow assessors to plan suitable site time, state their sampling methodology and identify exclusions before appointment.

What is a Type 1 fire risk assessment?

It is a non-destructive assessment focused on the common parts of a purpose-built block of flats. It also considers a sample of flat entrance doors and visible or reasonably accessible separation between flats and common areas.

Does a Type 1 FRA include entry into flats?

Not normally beyond the immediate area of the flat entrance door. A Type 3 assessment includes non-destructive inspection within a sample of flats.

Is a Type 1 assessment sufficient for every block?

No. It will normally be sufficient for many purpose-built blocks, but another assessment method may be more appropriate for converted buildings or where there is evidence of serious hidden fire-stopping or compartmentation deficiencies.

Is Type 1 the same as a fire-door inspection?

No. A Type 1 FRA examines a sample of entrance doors as part of the overall assessment. A fire-door inspection can examine every specified door and produce a detailed defect and repair schedule.

Does non-destructive mean no ceiling tiles or risers can be opened?

No. Readily accessible demountable ceiling tiles or service risers may be sampled where practical. Destructive opening-up of fixed construction is outside the normal Type 1 scope.