Commercial Property Q&As

Most definitely. This is a legal requirement for commercial premises, and certain other premises under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and indeed any regulations made under it. It is, of course, for the safety of the occupants of the building so that consideration has to be given to fire exits, fire extinguishers, and so on. There is also an argument that any buildings insurance may be invalidated by the lack of a fire risk assessment in the case of a fire at a property. The bottom line is that anyone owning a property is committing a criminal offence if there is not a fire risk assessment in place.

The short answer is yes. This is required for the purposes of complying with Regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 or Regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002. This has been in force for many years and an assessment needs to be done and if there is the presence of asbestos it is possible to have a scheme in place to manage it. Expert advice is essential in this respect.