Fire risk assessment cost in Hertfordshire: what to budget
Published Hertfordshire prices start from £199 for small premises and run to £849 or more for larger or higher-risk buildings (6 prices from 2 local providers; VAT not stated). Floor area, number of storeys, sleeping accommodation and building complexity all move the price. This page sets out exactly what we found, with its VAT basis, and what wider UK pages charge for comparison.
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- Prices and guidance based on Hertfordshire data, with sources
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Typical prices by premises type
We found six genuinely Hertfordshire-sourced prices, from two providers, running from £199 to £849 or more. Neither provider stated whether VAT is included. Everything else below is wider UK pricing shown for context, not Hertfordshire-specific, so don't mistake it for a local quote.
| Premises type or band (as published) | Price | VAT basis |
|---|---|---|
| Micro: one person, one small unit | £199 | Not stated |
| Business, up to 20 employees | £349 | Not stated |
| Business, up to 50 employees | £549 | Not stated |
| Business or high risk, 50+ employees | £849+ | Not stated |
| Not specified (workplace or residential) | from £350 | Not stated |
| Not specified, attendance basis | from £500 | Not stated |
Wider UK price context
These figures are not from Hertfordshire providers, and none of them should be read as a local quote. We show them only so you can see how the published Hertfordshire prices above compare with pricing pages from elsewhere in the UK.
| Premises type | Lowest found | Highest found | Price source (VAT basis) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial (shops, offices, business premises) | £300 | £900 | published guide, VAT not stated (n=2); national provider starting price, excl. VAT (n=1); out-of-area council benchmark, excl. VAT (n=4) |
| Residential (flats, HMOs, shared housing) | £79 | £620 (plus £63 per extra flat, benchmark figure) | neighbouring-county provider, inc. VAT (n=3); national provider starting price, excl. VAT (n=1); out-of-area council benchmark, excl. VAT (n=2); published guide, VAT not stated (n=2) |
What affects the price
Floor area and number of storeys, the type of premises, whether people sleep there, and building complexity — a listed building, for example — all move the price. For blocks of flats, which of the four assessment types you need also matters.
Hertfordshire has a wide spread of listed buildings by district, from 93 in Watford to over 3,000 in East Hertfordshire, which can add time and cost to an assessment where a building's fabric needs closer inspection. For flats, a baseline Type 1 assessment of the common parts costs less than a Type 3 or Type 4 assessment that also samples inside individual flats, because that extra work usually needs access arranged with leaseholders. A new assessment, rather than a routine review, can also cost more if the assessor has no previous report to work from.
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Costs for landlords vary with the number of lettings, the number of shared areas, and whether the property is licensed as an HMO. See our full guide for landlords and HMOs for what the assessment needs to cover and how licensing fits in.
Cost for blocks of flats and communal areas
Blocks of flats cost more to assess as the building gets larger, taller or more complex, and as the assessment type moves from common-parts-only towards sampling inside individual flats. Our guide for flats and communal areas explains the four assessment types in full.
What you should get for the price
Whatever you pay, expect a written record of the assessment, its significant findings, and an action plan for anything that needs fixing. That written record is now a legal requirement for every assessment, not just larger premises, whoever carries it out.
When comparing quotes, ask each assessor what their price actually includes: a site visit, a written report, a prioritised action plan, and a named point of contact if you have questions afterwards. It's also reasonable to ask about their training and experience, since the law now requires anyone appointed to help with an assessment to be competent.
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Get quotesFrequently asked questions
What's the average cost of a fire risk assessment?
There isn't a single UK average we can stand behind with the data we have. The published Hertfordshire prices we found range from £199 to £849 or more across six price points from two providers, which is too small a sample to call a true average. Wider UK pricing pages, not specific to Hertfordshire, span roughly £150 to £900 for most commercial and residential premises.
What's the cheapest a fire risk assessment is likely to cost?
The lowest published Hertfordshire figure we found was £199, for a very small, single-person premises. Smaller and simpler premises generally cost less, but a genuinely low quote is worth checking against what it actually covers.
Does the price include VAT?
It varies by provider and often isn't stated clearly. Of the published UK prices we reviewed, about half don't say either way, the rest split between VAT-inclusive and plus-VAT. None of the Hertfordshire-specific prices we found states its VAT basis. Always ask a provider to confirm whether their quote includes VAT.
Why do quotes for the same premises type vary so much?
Floor area, number of storeys, whether anyone sleeps on the premises, and the complexity of the building (a listed building, for example) all affect how long an assessment takes, which drives the price. The type of assessment needed for a block of flats also varies, from a baseline check of common parts to one that samples inside flats as well.