If you own, manage or occupy a non-domestic premises in Wales, fire safety law places a direct legal duty on you. Understanding what’s required — and what happens if you don’t comply — is essential for any business, landlord or public sector organisation operating in Wales today.
This guide covers everything you need to know: the legislation that applies, who is responsible, what a fire risk assessment involves, how often one is needed, and the specific requirements that apply in Wales. Where relevant, we’ve linked through to our sector and location pages for more detail.
FireBugged is a South Wales fire risk assessment business led by Paul Williams, a Level 4 qualified Fire Risk Assessor with over 26 years of experience across operational fire safety, auditing and compliance. If you’d like to speak to Paul directly, call or text 07966 511750.
Contents
- The legal framework — what applies in Wales
- The Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2022 — what landlords must know
- Who is the responsible person?
- What is a fire risk assessment?
- What does a fire risk assessment include?
- How often does a fire risk assessment need to be reviewed?
- Who needs a fire risk assessment in Wales?
- Sector-specific requirements
- Areas we cover in South Wales
- Do you need a qualified assessor?
- What happens if you don’t have one?
- Get a quote from FireBugged
1. The legal framework — what applies in Wales
Fire safety in Wales is governed primarily by two pieces of legislation:
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 — commonly referred to as the Fire Safety Order or RRFSO — is the main piece of fire safety legislation applying to non-domestic premises in England and Wales. It requires the responsible person for any non-domestic premises to carry out a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment, implement appropriate fire safety measures, and keep the assessment under regular review.
The Fire Safety Order applies to virtually all non-domestic premises, including offices, retail units, warehouses, hotels, care homes, HMOs, schools, GP surgeries, places of worship and shared areas of residential buildings.
The Fire Safety Act 2021
The Fire Safety Act 2021 clarified and extended the scope of the Fire Safety Order, confirming that it applies to the structure, external walls and flat entrance doors of multi-occupied residential buildings. This has significant implications for building owners and managing agents responsible for blocks of flats and other residential premises in Wales.
The Building Safety Act 2022
The Building Safety Act 2022 introduced a new regulatory framework for higher-risk buildings — defined as residential buildings of 18 metres or more, or at least 7 storeys, containing two or more residential units. Accountable persons for such buildings in Wales have additional duties around fire and structural safety.
Welsh Government fire safety guidance
Alongside UK-wide legislation, the Welsh Government has issued its own fire safety guidance and has taken a proactive stance on enforcement through South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service, and North Wales Fire and Rescue Service. Businesses operating in Wales should be aware that enforcement activity in Wales can differ from England in terms of priorities and approach.
2. The Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2022 — what landlords must know
Wales has its own landlord legislation that goes further than the equivalent provisions in England. The Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2022 — which came into force in December 2022 — introduced a range of new fire safety obligations for residential landlords letting properties in Wales.
Under the Act, landlords must ensure that all rented properties in Wales meet the Fitness for Human Habitation standard. From a fire safety perspective, this includes specific requirements around:
- Smoke alarms — at least one working smoke alarm on every storey of the property used as living accommodation
- Carbon monoxide alarms — in any room containing a gas, oil, solid fuel or wood-burning appliance
- Electrical safety — a valid electrical condition report (EICR) carried out by a qualified electrician
- Fire doors — in HMOs and certain other higher-risk properties, fire doors must meet the required standard and be maintained in good working order
For landlords operating houses in multiple occupation in Wales, the combination of the Renting Homes Act, the Fire Safety Order and HMO licensing conditions creates a complex and overlapping set of obligations. A professional fire risk assessment carried out by a qualified assessor is the most effective way to ensure compliance across all of these requirements simultaneously.
FireBugged carries out fire risk assessments for HMOs and residential landlords across South Wales. See our HMO fire risk assessment page for more detail.
3. Who is the responsible person?
The Fire Safety Order places duties on the “responsible person” — a specific legal term that refers to whoever has control of the premises. In practice, this means:
- The employer, where the premises is a workplace
- The owner, where the premises is not a workplace
- The person who has control of the premises — for example, a managing agent, facilities manager or building manager
- The landlord, in the case of HMOs and residential buildings where shared areas fall within the scope of the Fire Safety Order
Where there is more than one responsible person — for example, in a multi-tenanted building — all responsible persons must co-operate with each other and co-ordinate their fire safety arrangements.
The responsible person cannot delegate their legal duty away. Even where a fire risk assessment is carried out by an external contractor, the legal responsibility for ensuring the assessment is suitable and sufficient remains with the responsible person.
4. What is a fire risk assessment?
A fire risk assessment is a structured evaluation of a premises that identifies fire hazards, assesses the risk those hazards pose to occupants, and determines what fire safety measures are needed to reduce that risk to an acceptable level.
It is not a pass/fail inspection. It is a systematic process that results in a written report identifying hazards, risks and the actions needed to address them — giving the responsible person a clear, prioritised action plan.
A suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment must consider:
- The premises itself — its layout, construction, use and occupancy
- Potential ignition sources — anything that could start a fire
- Fuel sources — materials that could allow a fire to grow and spread
- Oxygen sources — ventilation, air conditioning and other factors that could accelerate a fire
- The people at risk — staff, visitors, contractors, and any vulnerable individuals including those who may have difficulty evacuating
- Existing fire safety measures — detection and alarm systems, emergency lighting, extinguishers, signage, escape routes and evacuation procedures
- Fire safety management — training, maintenance records, testing regimes and documented procedures
5. What does a FireBugged fire risk assessment include?
Every fire risk assessment carried out by FireBugged follows a structured, thorough process that meets the requirements of the Fire Safety Order and current guidance from the National Fire Chiefs Council.
Your assessment includes:
- A full on-site inspection of all occupied areas, escape routes, fire doors, storage areas, plant rooms and external areas where relevant
- Identification and evaluation of all significant fire hazards
- Assessment of existing fire safety measures against current standards
- Evaluation of risk to all occupants, including any vulnerable individuals
- A written fire risk assessment report with photographic evidence
- A clear risk rating for the premises
- A prioritised action plan detailing what needs to be done, in what order, and to what standard
Where required, Paul can also carry out fire door inspections and fire extinguisher compliance checks as part of the same visit, providing a comprehensive picture of your fire safety position in a single appointment.
6. How often does a fire risk assessment need to be reviewed?
The Fire Safety Order requires the responsible person to keep their fire risk assessment under regular review and to revise it where necessary. It does not specify a fixed review interval — but in practice, most fire safety professionals recommend an annual review as a minimum for most premises.
A fire risk assessment should also be reviewed immediately following any of the following:
- A fire, near-miss or significant fire safety incident on the premises
- A significant change in the use or occupancy of the premises
- Structural alterations or refurbishment works
- A change in the number of people using the premises
- The introduction of new processes, substances or equipment that could affect fire risk
- A change in the responsible person
- Following a visit or enforcement notice from the fire and rescue authority
For higher-risk premises — including care homes, HMOs, hotels and large warehouses — an annual review carried out by a qualified assessor is strongly recommended regardless of whether any of the above changes have occurred.
7. Who needs a fire risk assessment in Wales?
Under the Fire Safety Order, a fire risk assessment is required for virtually all non-domestic premises in Wales. This includes:
- All workplaces and business premises, regardless of size
- Commercial premises including offices, retail units and industrial buildings
- Hotels, guesthouses, bed and breakfasts and other hospitality premises
- Care homes, nursing homes and other residential care facilities
- Houses in multiple occupation and other residential landlord properties
- Schools, colleges and educational establishments
- GP surgeries, dental practices and other healthcare premises
- Places of worship
- Village halls, community centres and other public buildings
- Common areas of blocks of flats and other multi-occupied residential buildings
If you employ five or more people, or if your premises is licensed, you must have a written fire risk assessment. If you employ fewer than five people, you are still legally required to carry out a fire risk assessment — you simply don’t need to record it in writing, although doing so is strongly recommended.
8. Sector-specific requirements
Different types of premises carry different fire risks and are subject to different guidance. FireBugged carries out fire risk assessments across a range of sectors across South Wales:
Care homes
Care homes present some of the most complex fire safety challenges of any premises type, with sleeping occupants, mobility-restricted residents and high staff-to-resident ratios all affecting the risk profile and evacuation strategy. See our care home fire risk assessment page for full details.
HMOs
Houses in multiple occupation are subject to overlapping obligations under the Fire Safety Order, HMO licensing conditions and — in Wales — the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2022. Fire doors, detection systems and escape routes are all common areas of non-compliance. See our HMO fire risk assessment page for full details.
Hotels and hospitality
Hotels, guesthouses and other hospitality premises must comply with specific guidance for sleeping risk premises. Escape routes, detection systems, fire doors and staff training are all critical. See our hotel fire risk assessment page for full details.
Offices
Offices may appear lower risk than other premises types, but shared buildings, server rooms, high occupancy and poor housekeeping are all common fire safety issues. See our office fire risk assessment page for full details.
Warehouses
Warehouses present significant fire risk due to storage density, flammable materials, racking systems and large open floor plans. Compartmentation, suppression systems and emergency planning are all key considerations. See our warehouse fire risk assessment page for full details.
9. Areas we cover in South Wales
FireBugged carries out fire risk assessments across South Wales. We cover all major towns and cities in the region, including:
- Cardiff — the largest commercial centre in Wales, including Cardiff Bay, Canton, Roath and the city centre
- Swansea — covering the city centre, SA1, the Kingsway and surrounding areas
- Newport — including the city centre, Pill, Bettws and surrounding commercial areas
- Bridgend — our home base, covering the town centre, Bridgend Industrial Estate and surrounding areas
- Barry — including Barry Docks, Barry Island and the surrounding Vale of Glamorgan area
- Vale of Glamorgan — including Penarth, Cowbridge, Llantwit Major and surrounding towns
- Pontypridd — including Treforest Industrial Estate and the wider RCT area
- Caerphilly — including Caerphilly town, Blackwood and the surrounding valleys
- Merthyr Tydfil — including Merthyr town centre and surrounding industrial areas
- Neath — including Neath town centre and the Neath Port Talbot area
- Llanelli — including Llanelli town centre and the surrounding Carmarthenshire area
- Rhondda Cynon Taf — covering the Rhondda and Cynon valleys and surrounding areas
10. Do you need a qualified assessor?
The Fire Safety Order requires that a fire risk assessment be carried out by a “competent person” — defined as someone with sufficient training, experience and knowledge to carry out the assessment properly. It does not specify a particular qualification.
However, for most non-domestic premises — particularly those that are higher risk, complex in layout, or subject to licensing conditions — using a professionally qualified fire risk assessor is strongly recommended. For certain premises types, including care homes and licensed HMOs, using a qualified assessor may be a condition of your licence or insurance.
Paul Williams is a Level 4 qualified Fire Risk Assessor — the highest level of qualification available for fire risk assessment practice — with over 26 years of experience across operational fire safety, fire safety auditing and commercial inspections. He has carried out more than 1,800 assessments across South Wales and brings the kind of depth of knowledge that only comes from real, hands-on experience at every level of the fire safety sector.
A Level 4 qualification demonstrates competence across a broad range of premises types and risk profiles, and gives clients — and their insurers — confidence that the assessment has been carried out to the required standard.
11. What happens if you don’t have a fire risk assessment?
Failing to carry out a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment is a criminal offence under the Fire Safety Order. South Wales Fire and Rescue Service and the other Welsh fire and rescue services have powers to inspect premises, issue enforcement notices, issue prohibition notices and prosecute responsible persons who fail to comply.
The consequences of non-compliance can include:
- An enforcement notice requiring specific fire safety improvements within a set timeframe
- A prohibition notice preventing the use of all or part of the premises until improvements are made
- Prosecution, with unlimited fines and — in serious cases — imprisonment
- Increased insurance premiums or invalidation of insurance cover
- Civil liability in the event of a fire causing injury or death
- Reputational damage and loss of business
In Wales, enforcement activity by the fire and rescue services has increased in recent years, particularly in relation to HMOs, care homes and hospitality premises. Getting a current, compliant fire risk assessment in place is not just a legal obligation — it is the most effective way to protect your staff, occupants and business.
12. Get a quote from FireBugged
FireBugged provides professional fire risk assessments across South Wales for businesses, landlords and public sector organisations of all sizes. Every assessment is carried out personally by Paul Williams — a Level 4 qualified Fire Risk Assessor with over 26 years of experience — so you can be confident the job is done properly.
There are no hidden costs, no call centres and no subcontractors. You deal directly with Paul from first contact through to delivery of your report.
Call or text 07966 511750 for a straight answer and a no-obligation quote, or use the button below.