BS 9792:2025 is the British Standard code of practice for fire risk assessment in housing. If you own or manage an HMO, a block of flats or maisonettes, specialised housing or related student accommodation, it is now the recognised methodology competent assessors should use to carry out and record a housing fire risk assessment. Published by BSI on 1 August 2025, it is a full revision and formal conversion of the withdrawn PAS 79-2:2020. It does not replace your legal duties under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 — Article 9 still requires a suitable and sufficient assessment, kept up to date and recorded — but it is the housing-specific benchmark those assessments are measured against.
If your last FRA still cites PAS 79-2 as its method, treat that as a prompt to review whether the document meets today’s expectations, not as proof that nothing needs updating. For a professional assessment aligned to current housing practice, see our fire risk assessments page or request a quote.
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BS 9792:2025 at a glance
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| What is it? | BSI code of practice for fire risk assessment in housing, published 1 August 2025. |
| What did it replace? | PAS 79-2:2020, now withdrawn. |
| Is it the law? | No. The law is the Fire Safety Order 2005 (as clarified by the Fire Safety Act 2021); BS 9792 is the housing method. |
| In scope | HMOs, blocks of flats and maisonettes, specialised housing, student housing in those forms, residential access areas in mixed-use buildings. |
| Out of scope | Single private houses, Airbnb-type lets, non-domestic premises, care homes. |
| Typical cost via our network | £180–£350 small premises; £350–£750 medium or sleeping-risk buildings. |
What is BS 9792:2025?
BS 9792:2025 Fire risk assessment. Housing. Code of practice gives recommendations and example documentation for undertaking and recording fire risk assessments in housing. It is aimed at competent assessors and at freeholders, managing agents, housing providers and other duty holders who commission or rely on those assessments.
Following a British Standard does not, by itself, prove legal compliance. Your legal test remains Article 9 of the Fire Safety Order: the assessment must be suitable and sufficient, kept up to date, and recorded. BS 9792 helps you (and your assessor) show how that was done in a structured, housing-specific way.
Which buildings does it cover?
According to BSI, BS 9792:2025 applies to fire risk assessments for:
- Houses in multiple occupation (HMOs)
- Blocks of flats or maisonettes (purpose-built or converted)
- Specialised housing (as defined in the standard, including supported and sheltered forms)
- Student accommodation falling into any of the above
- Access areas to residential accommodation in mixed-use buildings
It does not cover single private dwellings, short-term letting units of the Airbnb type, non-domestic premises, residential care homes, or construction-phase premises before occupation. Non-domestic FRAs continue to sit under PAS 79-1. Specialist external-wall assessments remain a separate exercise under PAS 9980 (often called an FRAEW).
That last point matters for HMO and block landlords: an ordinary housing FRA can note external-wall issues, but it is not a substitute for a PAS 9980 assessment where cladding or external-wall risk needs a dedicated methodology.
Why PAS 79-2 was replaced
PAS 79-2:2020 was the housing companion to the better-known PAS 79 methodology. BSI has now converted and revised that housing guidance into a full British Standard. Industry commentary describes more than a rebadge: clearer treatment of assessment types, a streamlined recording pro forma, updated legal references after 2020, and stronger guidance on people who need support to evacuate.
For Responsible Persons, the practical message is simple. Commissioning language such as “do a PAS 79-2 assessment” is outdated for housing. Ask for an assessment aligned to BS 9792:2025 for premises in scope.
How this sits with the Fire Safety Order
Article 9 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 still requires the Responsible Person to make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to relevant persons, review it regularly (especially when it may no longer be valid or after significant change), and record the findings.
GOV.UK’s workplace fire safety guidance confirms that employers, owners, landlords, occupiers and others with control of the premises can be the Responsible Person, and that the Order also covers the common areas of multi-occupied residential buildings. Where more than one Responsible Person shares a building, they must co-ordinate.
The Fire Safety Act 2021 clarified that, for multi-occupied residential buildings, the Order applies to the structure, external walls (including cladding and balconies) and flat entrance doors between flats and the common parts. Your housing FRA should consider those parts — BS 9792 gives assessors a consistent way to record them.
Need a competent FRA? Request a quote via our nationwide matching network: Get a quote — or see fire risk assessments.
BS 9792 does not invent a new legal “certificate”. It supports the existing duty. Since 1 October 2023, recording requirements under the Order (as amended by the Building Safety Act) mean thin historic paperwork is a weak defence. A current housing FRA should show who assessed the building, what was found, what measures are in place or planned, and which groups of people are especially at risk.
For review timing after you have a BS 9792-aligned assessment, see our guide on how often a fire risk assessment must be reviewed. Typical UK fees are set out in how much a fire risk assessment costs in 2026.
Assessment types (Type 1 to Type 4)
Housing fire risk assessment practice has long used a Type 1–4 scale. BS 9792 retains that structure while aligning it more clearly with scope and principles. In plain terms:
- Type 1 — Common parts, non-intrusive. The usual starting point for many purpose-built blocks and some HMOs where flats are not entered.
- Type 2 — Common parts with a degree of intrusive inspection (for example opening up where construction uncertainty matters).
- Type 3 — Common parts plus non-intrusive inspection of individual dwellings (sample or wider, depending on the brief).
- Type 4 — Common parts plus intrusive inspection of dwellings where the risk justifies it.
Type 1 is not automatically “enough” for every HMO or converted building. Age, construction, known compartmentation weaknesses, licensing conditions and previous findings can push you toward a higher type. Ask your assessor to recommend the type in writing and explain why.
What HMO landlords and managing agents should ask
Before you accept a quote or a finished report, ask:
- Will the assessment be carried out and recorded to BS 9792:2025 (not PAS 79-2)?
- Which Type (1–4) are you recommending, and why for this building?
- Does the scope include structure, external walls and flat entrance doors where the Fire Safety Act brings them into the Order’s assessment for multi-occupied residential buildings?
- How will person-centred evacuation needs be considered?
- Will the report record testing and maintenance arrangements for detection, emergency lighting, doors and other critical systems in a way an enforcing authority can follow?
- Is a separate PAS 9980 external-wall assessment needed, or is that out of scope?
If you operate licensed HMOs, remember that licensing conditions often expect a written fire risk assessment for the common parts (and sometimes more). The standard does not create the licence condition — your council’s scheme and the Fire Safety Order do — but a BS 9792-aligned report is a stronger way to show you have taken a recognised approach. See also which certificates you need for HMO licensing and our HMO fire risk assessment guide.
Do you need a new assessment immediately?
Not automatically, and not because BSI published a new number on the calendar. You need a suitable and sufficient assessment that still reflects the building. A recent, thorough PAS 79-2-based FRA may still be a useful baseline, but you should plan a documented review against BS 9792 expectations, especially if:
- the report is thin, missing full findings, or pre-dates the October 2023 recording changes;
- the building has changed (layout, occupancy, fire systems, doors, use);
- you have sleeping risk with high turnover (student HMOs at the start of term are a classic trigger);
- an insurer, lender or fire authority is asking for current methodology.
When in doubt, commission a competent reassessment rather than hoping an old template still carries weight.
Next steps
Check the method statement on your latest housing fire risk assessment. If it still leans on PAS 79-2 alone, ask for a BS 9792:2025-aligned review or new assessment for HMOs, blocks and specialised housing in scope. Pair it with a clear action plan and a diary for regular review.
Request a professional fire risk assessment through Safety Certificates UK’s matching network, or start on our quote form. We match you with vetted assessors; we do not assess in-house.
Official sources
Checked 2 October 2026:
- BSI — BS 9792:2025 Fire risk assessment. Housing. Code of practice (published 1 August 2025)
- Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, article 9
- GOV.UK — Fire Safety Act 2021 factsheets
- Home Office — Fire safety responsibilities under section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022 (in force 1 October 2023)
- GOV.UK — Fire safety: who’s responsible
HMO, block or student housing? Get a BS 9792-aligned fire risk assessment quote · add a legionella risk assessment for one coordinated visit.
Next step: Get a quote for a fire risk assessment through Safety Certificates UK’s matching network (we do not assess in-house).
Guidance only — not legal advice. Requirements depend on the premises and enforcing authority. Arrange a formal on-site assessment where needed.