Need a fire risk assessment Birmingham landlords and dutyholders can rely on — or a legionella risk assessment for a Birmingham let, HMO or workplace? Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the Responsible Person for a workplace or the common parts of an HMO or block must carry out, record and review a fire risk assessment; West Midlands Fire Service enforces it locally. Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, COSHH and HSE ACoP L8, landlords and employers must assess and control legionella. Typical fees: FRA £180–£350 small premises, £350–£750 medium or sleeping-risk; legionella from £90. For national detail see our fire risk assessments and legionella risk assessments pages, then request a Birmingham quote.
Safety Certificates UK matches vetted assessors covering Birmingham and the surrounding area. We do not assess in-house. Request a quote and we coordinate a local visit.
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Dutyholders in Birmingham need practical records for water systems and fire safety — not a generic checklist posted from hundreds of miles away. Birmingham’s commercial core, Jewellery Quarter conversions, high-rise residential and large HMO market create diverse water and fire risk profiles. Safety Certificates UK operates as a nationwide matching network: we coordinate vetted assessors who can attend premises in and around Birmingham, so you get local knowledge without paying a national call-out premium for every visit.
Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and COSHH, people in control of premises must manage the risk from legionella so far as reasonably practicable. The Health and Safety Executive’s Approved Code of Practice L8 and technical guidance HSG274 set the expected approach: understand your water systems, assess the risk, implement controls, and keep records. In Birmingham, that typically covers hot and cold domestic services in rental stock, showers in HMOs or sports facilities, and plant serving offices or hospitality. A competent legionella risk assessment is the foundation document insurers, lenders and enforcing authorities expect to see.
Fire safety sits alongside water hygiene. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (and related housing fire safety duties) requires a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment for most non-domestic premises and the common parts of many residential buildings. landlords, agents, hotels, healthcare, education and facilities teams in Birmingham often need both documents for the same asset — especially where student HMOs, converted warehouses and city-centre apartment blocks need both assessments for the same building.
We are honest about how we work. Safety Certificates UK / PASECOM does not employ in-house surveyors to complete every assessment ourselves. We match your enquiry to a competent assessor in the network covering Birmingham and the surrounding area, then help keep the paperwork usable: clear findings, proportionate recommendations, and formats that portfolio managers can file once rather than chase repeatedly. That matching model is how we cover Birmingham as part of nationwide GB coverage while still prioritising assessors who know local stock.
When you request a quote, tell us the premises type, postcode, occupancy and whether you need legionella only, fire only, or a multi-service bundle (including EICR, PAT, alarms or health and safety audits). We aim to respond the same working day. For deeper guidance, browse the Advice Hub, or go straight to the quote page if you already know what you need.
A fire safety risk assessment in Birmingham covers HMOs, blocks and businesses alike. Most Birmingham fire risk assessment requests we coordinate fall into three groups: shared houses and student HMOs, apartment blocks in and around the city centre, and workplaces such as offices, shops, hotels, surgeries and care settings. The legal test is the same for each — a suitable and sufficient assessment under article 9 of the Fire Safety Order, recorded in full since 1 October 2023 and reviewed when anything significant changes — but the inspection is very different.
For blocks of flats, the Fire Safety Act 2021 confirms the assessment must consider the structure, external walls (including cladding and balconies) and flat entrance doors. For HMOs and blocks, ask for a housing assessment aligned to BS 9792:2025. Converted buildings — warehouse and factory conversions in areas such as the Jewellery Quarter and Digbeth — often have altered escape routes and hidden compartmentation gaps, so give the assessor the building’s original use as well as its current one.
| Birmingham premises | Fire Safety Order 2005? | Typical fee |
|---|---|---|
| HMO or student house (common parts) | Yes — recorded FRA, reviewed at tenancy or layout changes | £350–£750 |
| Block of flats or converted building (common parts) | Yes — including structure, external walls and flat entrance doors | £180–£350 small; £350–£750 larger |
| Shop, office, salon or other small business | Yes — every workplace, recorded in full since 1 October 2023 | £180–£350 |
| Hotel, care home or other sleeping-risk premises | Yes — fuller assessment | £350–£750 |
| Single house let to one household | No — but smoke and carbon monoxide alarm rules still apply | — |
The Responsible Person is the employer, or for common parts the owner, freeholder or managing agent. Hiring an assessor does not move that duty, so keep the report, act on its findings and diarise the review. Request a Birmingham fire risk assessment quote.
Birmingham City Council changed its licensing rules on 5 June 2023. Since then a smaller HMO — 3 or 4 occupants from 2 or more households sharing a kitchen or bathroom — needs an additional HMO licence, and larger HMOs still need a mandatory licence. A selective licensing scheme covers other private lets in 25 of the city’s 69 wards. The council says its licence conditions cover health and safety, so send your assessor a copy of the conditions on your licence.
Licensing does not replace the Fire Safety Order: the common parts of an HMO need a fire risk assessment whether or not the property is licensed. Our HMO fire risk assessment guide explains what assessors look for.
A legionella risk assessment for a Birmingham let, HMO or workplace identifies where Legionella bacteria could grow in the hot and cold water system — stored water, tepid temperatures, little-used outlets — and sets out how to control it. Landlords and employers have this duty under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and COSHH, with HSE ACoP L8 describing what a suitable assessment looks like. For a single domestic let the fee is typically £90–£180; HMOs and complex systems £150–£350; commercial, care and dental sites from £250. See our legionella risk assessments page for the national detail.
A Birmingham legionella visit normally covers: where the supply enters, any cold water storage tank and its lid, the hot water cylinder or calorifier temperature, outlet temperatures at sentinel taps, showers, little-used outlets and redundant pipework, who lives or works there, and a written list of controls with review triggers. Routine water sampling is not usually required for domestic systems.
Student houses around Selly Oak and Edgbaston often stand empty over the summer. HSE advises that outlets should be used at least once a week and that a flushing regime, or draining the system, should be considered for long vacancies such as student accommodation over the summer vacation — so review the legionella risk assessment before the new academic year. Converted buildings with long pipe runs and redundant branches can hide dead legs, while hotels, care homes and surgeries with stored hot water need a fuller assessment against ACoP L8 and HSG274. Ask for legionella and fire together and we coordinate one visit.
Birmingham work is quoted within the same bands we publish nationally. The matched assessor confirms the figure once they know the premises type, size and systems.
Need both? Choose “Multi-service bundle” on the form and we coordinate legionella and fire in one visit.
Birmingham FAQ
Local answers for landlords, agents and businesses in Birmingham. For what each assessment covers nationally, see our legionella risk assessments and fire risk assessments pages.
Yes, for the common parts. Under the Fire Safety Order 2005 the Responsible Person for a block — usually the freeholder, managing agent or residents’ management company — must carry out and record a fire risk assessment, and the Fire Safety Act 2021 confirms it must consider the structure, external walls (including cladding and balconies) and flat entrance doors. A single self-contained house let to one household is not covered by the Order, although smoke and carbon monoxide alarm rules still apply.
Yes. Every workplace — offices, shops, restaurants, salons, warehouses, surgeries — needs a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment under article 9 of the Fire Safety Order, and since 1 October 2023 the full findings must be recorded whatever the number of employees. West Midlands Fire Service can inspect and issue enforcement notices. Small premises are typically £180–£350 through our network.
Birmingham enquiries typically come from shared student houses around Selly Oak and Edgbaston, city-centre apartment blocks, Jewellery Quarter warehouse conversions, offices in the business district, hotels, care homes and GP or dental surgeries. Converted industrial buildings often have long pipe runs and altered escape routes, so tell us the original use of the building as well as the current one when you request a quote.
The employer or the person in control of the premises holds the legionella duty under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and COSHH, guided by ACoP L8. For fire, the Responsible Person under the Fire Safety Order 2005 is the employer or, for common parts, the owner or managing agent. West Midlands Fire Service enforces the Fire Safety Order locally, so your paperwork should clearly name who is responsible.
Review whenever something material changes: a new layout, a change from offices to flats, a tenancy changeover in a shared house, a period with the building empty, or remedial work. Otherwise set a planned review date that suits the risk. Care homes and HMOs usually justify shorter review periods than a low-occupancy office, and the assessor will suggest an interval in the report.
Postcode, premises type, how many bedrooms, flats or floors, whether there are cold water storage tanks or a hot water cylinder, and whether you need legionella, fire or a combined visit. For portfolios across Birmingham and the Black Country, list every address in the notes box so the visits can be grouped efficiently rather than quoted one by one.
Birmingham work is priced within the same bands we publish nationally. Legionella: £90–£180 for a single domestic let, £150–£350 for an HMO or complex system, from £250 for commercial, care or dental sites. Fire risk assessment: £180–£350 for small premises, £350–£750 for medium or sleeping-risk buildings such as HMOs, hotels and care homes. The final figure depends on size and system complexity.
We do not send our own staff. Your quote request goes to an independent assessor from our network who covers Birmingham, and they confirm price and availability directly. Because we coordinate rather than survey, we can arrange legionella and fire together for the same site, and we will tell you plainly if a job, such as an external wall appraisal, sits outside a standard assessment.
Yes. Since 5 June 2023 Birmingham City Council has required an additional HMO licence for smaller HMOs with 3 or 4 occupants from 2 or more households, alongside mandatory licensing for larger HMOs. A licence does not replace the Fire Safety Order: the common parts of an HMO still need a recorded fire risk assessment. The council says its licence conditions cover health and safety, so give your assessor a copy of your conditions.
It should be managed while empty and checked before it is re-let. HSE advises that outlets are used at least once a week and that a flushing regime, or draining the system, is considered for properties left vacant for long periods such as student accommodation over the summer. Review the legionella risk assessment after a long void, and book it with the fire risk assessment if both are due.
Official sources: HSE — Legionnaires’ disease · HSE ACoP L8 · HSG274 · Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 · Fire Safety Act 2021 · GOV.UK — fire safety responsibilities
Tell us the premises type, postcode and timeline. We match a vetted independent assessor covering Birmingham — we do not assess in-house. Bundle legionella and fire in one coordinated visit if useful.
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