Vigilance Fire Safety

Fire Risk Assessments for Hotels, Hostels and Airbnbs

Fixed-fee fire risk assessments for hotels, guest houses, B&Bs, hostels, serviced apartments and holiday lets across Milton Keynes, Bedford, London and the Home Counties.

What is a fire risk assessment for paying guest accommodation?

A fire risk assessment for a hotel, hostel, B&B or holiday let is a written review of the fire risks in premises where people sleep, often in an unfamiliar building, and of whether detection, escape routes, fire doors, emergency lighting and guest information are adequate. If you let rooms or a whole property to paying guests, including through Airbnb or other booking platforms, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applies and you are the responsible person.

Every assessment is carried out personally by Ray Amoah (ABBE Level 4 Diploma in Fire Risk Assessment, DipFRA, MIFSM, FPA member), and written to PAS 79-1:2020, the recognised method for non-domestic premises.

Page last reviewed: 22 October 2026.

Guest bedroom in serviced accommodation

The law for sleeping accommodation

Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005

Hotels, hostels, guest houses and holiday lets are covered. The owner or operator must assess the fire risk, act on the findings and keep the assessment under review. Serious breaches can lead to an unlimited fine and up to two years’ imprisonment.

Building Safety Act 2022, section 156

Since 1 October 2023 every responsible person must record the full fire risk assessment and their fire safety arrangements in writing, and record who carried it out.

Short-term and holiday lets

Owners of Airbnbs and holiday lets have the same duties as other businesses. Government guidance for small paying guest accommodation sets out what is expected for smaller properties.

Government guidance

HM Government’s fire safety guide for sleeping accommodation covers hotels, hostels and similar premises. We assess against it and PAS 79-1:2020.

What we assess in guest accommodation

Detection and alarm

Detector coverage in bedrooms, corridors and kitchens, interlinking, and test records.

Fire doors

Bedroom and kitchen doors, self-closers, seals and doors on protected stairs.

Escape routes

Protected routes from every bedroom, travel distances, inner rooms and exits that open without a key.

Emergency lighting and signs

Lighting and signage that guests unfamiliar with the building can follow at night.

Guest information

Fire action notices, what guests are told on arrival and how they raise the alarm.

Night-time management

Staffing at night, how a fire would be dealt with when no one is on site, and checks between bookings.

Why sleeping risk changes everything

Guests are often asleep, may have been drinking, and do not know the layout of the building. That makes early warning and a clear, protected escape route far more important than in a workplace. In smaller properties and holiday lets, the most common gaps are smoke alarms that are not interlinked or not tested between stays, bedrooms that can only be left through a kitchen or living room, key-operated exit doors, and no fire information for guests.

How it works

1. Quote

Send us the address, the type of premises and its size. We confirm a fixed fee before we visit. Assessments start from £225 for smaller premises.

2. Site visit

Ray Amoah inspects every bedroom, corridor, stair, kitchen and plant area, and reviews your alarm and emergency lighting test records and the information you give guests.

3. Written report

A clear report with photographs and a prioritised action plan, from urgent items to longer-term improvements.

4. Review

We remind you when the assessment is due for review, at least annually and after any significant change.

Hotel, hostel and Airbnb fire risk assessment FAQs

Does an Airbnb need a fire risk assessment?

Yes. If you let a property or rooms to paying guests, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applies and you must carry out a fire risk assessment, act on its findings and record it in writing.

The owner or operator who controls the property is the responsible person. If a management company runs the let, the responsibilities should be agreed in writing, and both must cooperate.

It depends on the size and layout, and the assessment sets out exactly what is needed. Typical measures include interlinked smoke and heat alarms, protected escape routes, suitable fire doors, a fire blanket in the kitchen and clear fire information for guests.

Assessments start from £225 for smaller properties. Hotels, hostels and larger premises are quoted on a fixed fee, agreed before any work begins.

The law sets no fixed interval, but the assessment must stay current. Review it at least once a year as good practice, and straight away after building work, a change in how the premises are used, new equipment or a fire incident.

Yes. Where serviced apartments share a building with residential flats, the assessment considers both, including the common parts managed by the freeholder or managing agent.

What clients say

“Ray was super helpful and very polite. I felt that I could trust his advice and recommendations. Would definitely rebook.”

Beatrice, Google review

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Need a fire risk assessment for your hotel or holiday let?

Fixed-fee fire risk assessments across Milton Keynes, Bedford, London and the Home Counties. Send us the address and we will confirm a fee and visit date.