Fire Risk Assessment for Blocks of Flats in Leicester
Any Leicester building with two or more flats and a shared entrance, hallway or stair needs a fire risk assessment of its common parts. It is the freeholder’s duty, or the RMC’s or managing agent’s if they act for the freeholder. For a typical low-rise block the communal-area assessment costs £300 to £500. Taller buildings carry extra duties on top.
Updated September 2026
Four kinds of block, four different sets of problems
“Blocks of flats” covers very different buildings in Leicester. The assessment has to fit the building, so it helps to know which one you have.
Victorian villas split into flats
Stoneygate, Knighton and Clarendon Park have large Victorian and Edwardian houses divided into three to eight flats. The original timber stair is usually the only way out. The question is whether each flat is properly separated from that stair: old lath-and-plaster walls, doors that were never fire rated and gaps around pipes all count against it. Many of these conversions predate modern building regulations.
Converted hosiery and shoe factories
Around St George’s, the Cultural Quarter and the canal, former industrial buildings now hold dozens of flats. The shells are solid, but the new internal layouts are not always. Service risers, ceiling voids and the gap between old floors and new partitions can let smoke travel sideways, well away from where the fire started.
Purpose-built private blocks
From 1960s low-rise blocks in the suburbs to modern city-centre apartments, these tend to have better built-in separation. The usual findings are about upkeep: flat entrance doors swapped by owners for non-rated ones, closers removed, cupboards in the corridor used for storage, and missing signs.
Flats above shops
Along Narborough Road, Belgrave Road and Evington Road, flats sit over takeaways and convenience stores. If the escape route passes the shop, or the floor between them is weak, the risk is high and the fix is often structural. These buildings need someone who looks under the floors, not only at the stair.
Your duties by building height
The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 added duties that rise with height. Every block needs a fire risk assessment. These are the extra jobs on top.
| Building | What you must do (in addition to the FRA) |
|---|---|
| Any block with 2+ flats | Give residents fire safety instructions and information about fire doors. Record the full assessment in writing. Share the relevant findings with residents. |
| Over 11 metres (roughly 4+ storeys) | Check communal fire doors every 3 months. Make best efforts to check flat entrance doors every 12 months, and keep a record. |
| 18 metres+ or 7+ storeys | Secure information box, wayfinding signs, floor plans and external wall information for the fire service, and monthly checks of firefighting lifts and equipment. Register with the Building Safety Regulator as a higher-risk building. |
Sources: GOV.UK, Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 fact sheets; Building Safety Act 2022, section 156 guidance. The Fire Safety Act 2021 confirmed that the assessment must cover the structure, external walls and flat entrance doors.
Type 1, 2, 3 or 4: what each one means
Most Leicester blocks only need a Type 1. The higher types are for when a Type 1 finds something it cannot answer without looking further.
| Type | Where the assessor looks | Destructive? | When you need it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type 1 | Common parts only, plus a look at flat entrance doors from outside | No | The standard starting point for most blocks |
| Type 2 | Common parts, opening up some construction to check separation | Yes, limited | Doubts about compartmentation in shared areas |
| Type 3 | Common parts plus inside a sample of flats | No | Conversions where flat layouts affect escape, or poor detection |
| Type 4 | Common parts and flats, opening up construction in both | Yes | Serious concern about separation, often after an earlier assessment |
Types from the LGA guide Fire safety in purpose-built blocks of flats. A Type 3 usually costs about 1.7 times a Type 1. Ask for a quote for each if you are unsure.
When Leicester residents had to leave their homes
A prohibition notice on three residential blocks
Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service issued a prohibition notice on 28 September 2023, citing breaches of the Fire Safety Order and concern that residents could not escape in a fire. It was lifted on 12 October 2023 once the landlord had completed works to reduce the immediate risk to life.
A prohibition notice stops a building being used. For residents that means two weeks somewhere else. For the freeholder it means emergency works at emergency prices. A current assessment with its actions done is how you avoid being the next one.
Real questions from flat owners
“I live in an ex council flat, so who pays and can I refuse the work?”A leaseholder on the MoneySavingExpert forum, May 2024, after the council said it would replace front doors with fire doors
Flat entrance doors in a block are usually part of the fire safety of the whole building, even when the lease says the door is yours. If the freeholder’s assessment says a door must be replaced, the cost is normally recovered through the service charge or charged to the owner, depending on the lease. Where the works cost any leaseholder more than £250, the freeholder has to consult first under section 20. Refusing access for fire safety works rarely ends well.
“Why can we not just install a couple of standard battery-powered smoke alarms and perhaps a heat detector in each flat?”An owner in a Victorian house converted into three flats, MoneySavingExpert forum, June 2023
This is the Stoneygate question. In a converted house the fire alarm often needs to be linked across flats and the stair, because the building was not built with the separation a purpose-built block has. Sometimes better separation between flats and stair means a simpler alarm is enough. The assessment should say which route fits your building, not default to the most expensive one.
“They specifically told us we weren’t allowed to hang washing on balconies and have wicker fencing.”A resident in a housing association block, MoneySavingExpert forum, June 2025
Balconies are part of the external wall, which the Fire Safety Act 2021 brought into scope. Combustible screening, stored items and barbecues on balconies are now fair game for the assessment, and the rules residents are given should match what the assessment found.
What happens during a flats assessment
- Access to every common area: stairs, corridors, plant and meter rooms, bin stores, roof access and car park where they connect to the building.
- Flat entrance doors checked from the corridor: rating label, closer, gaps, smoke seals and letterbox. Residents do not need to be in for a Type 1.
- Alarm, emergency lighting and signs: tested where possible, with maintenance records reviewed.
- External walls and balconies: a visual check and questions about what the walls are made of. If there is doubt, the report will say a specialist appraisal is needed.
- Evacuation strategy: whether “stay put” or simultaneous evacuation suits the building, and whether residents have been told.
- Report and action plan: actions ranked by urgency, with who should do each one, ready to share with residents.
Questions from Leicester freeholders and managing agents
Does a block of 2 or 3 flats need a fire risk assessment?
Yes, if the flats share any common part such as an entrance hall or stair. Two flats is enough. Buildings where each flat has its own front door to the street and nothing is shared are the exception.
Who is the responsible person in a block of flats?
Usually the freeholder. Where a residents’ management company or right-to-manage company runs the building, it is normally that company, with day-to-day tasks often handled by a managing agent.
How often should a block’s assessment be reviewed?
There is no fixed period in law. Most Leicester blocks are reviewed every year, and taller or higher-risk buildings may need it more often. Any change such as new doors, works to the stair or a change in how the building is used should trigger a review.
Do leaseholders have a right to see the fire risk assessment?
Residents must be given the relevant fire safety information from it. Many managing agents share the full report, and it is good practice to do so.
What if the assessment says our external wall needs checking?
A standard fire risk assessment looks at the external wall but cannot test what it is made of. If there is doubt, the report should recommend a separate external wall appraisal by a specialist.
Get a fixed quote for your Leicester block
Tell us the address or postcode, number of flats and storeys, and whether it is a conversion or purpose built. A local assessor gets back to you with a fixed quote.
See also our HMO guide and Leicester cost guide, or call 0116 497 6683.