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Aipedia: Fire risk assessors
AI cannot give a fire risk assessor competence they lack, and using it to take on care homes, hospitals or higher-risk buildings beyond their experience is a serious liability risk. The 2026 proposals would also restrict such premises to certified assessors.
Part of: AI in fire risk assessment
In short
Fire risk assessment ranges from small offices to hospitals, care homes, industrial sites and tall residential buildings. In a 2024 Home Office survey, 65% of assessors said there are building types they do not feel competent to assess alone. AI tools can make an unfamiliar premises type feel manageable by supplying plausible text on progressive horizontal evacuation, process hazards or high-rise strategy. But competence is the assessor's, and NFCC tells clients to check experience with their premises type. MHCLG proposes restricting higher-risk premises to certified assessors and creating an offence of practising above certification level. PI policies may also limit covered activities.
An assessor experienced in offices and shops is offered a care home, a small hospital wing or a warehouse with hazardous processes. A generative AI chatbot can explain the typical evacuation approach, list the hazards usually associated with that occupancy and produce a report structure. Some assessors use it as a research aid; others let it write the sections they are least sure about. Because the output is fluent and confident, it is easy to mistake familiarity with the words for competence in the work.
The Home Office survey suggests the gap is common: 65% of respondents named building types they would not assess alone, and 50% do no formal refresher training.
Article 9 requires a suitable and sufficient assessment. Statutory guidance, as summarised by MHCLG, says responsible persons who cannot apply it should seek a competent person, and that complex premises will probably need someone with comprehensive training or experience. NFCC guidance tells duty holders to check evidence of compliance with the Competency Council criteria and experience with their type of premises. The MHCLG consultation proposes BS 8674 competence tiers, restricting higher-risk premises (at minimum residential buildings of at least 18 metres or 7 storeys with two or more units) to certified assessors, and offences such as practising above certification level. These are proposals, not yet law. See also our higher-risk building regime page.
Working beyond competence with AI support tends to fail in these ways:
Illustrative scenario: an assessor with retail experience takes on a residential care home. AI drafts the sections on evacuation of residents who cannot self-rescue, describing staff-assisted horizontal evacuation. The assessor does not check whether night staffing levels make that achievable. After a fire, the care provider claims the assessment was negligent and that the assessor held themselves out as competent for the premises type. The Grenfell Inquiry's finding that an assessor had misrepresented experience shows how seriously such questions are now taken.
PI usually covers the professional activities declared to insurers. If you take on premises types outside what you described, such as hospitals or higher-risk residential buildings, there may be questions about whether the work falls within cover, and any fire safety or building-height restrictions in the wording may apply. A claim alleging work beyond competence is still a negligence claim, but disclosure and activity limits can affect the outcome. Read placing a fire safety and cladding PI risk and PI for fire risk assessors.
Use AI to learn, not to stand in for experience you do not yet have. In practice:
See also mandatory certification and AI, AI evacuation strategies and the fire risk assessment Aipedia hub.
Apex arranges PI for fire risk assessors. If you plan to take on more complex premises, a broker can check how your declared activities and policy limits would apply.
It can help you research, but it cannot give you competence. NFCC tells clients to check experience with their premises type. If you could not write and check the assessment without AI, it is safer to decline or work with an experienced colleague.
MHCLG has proposed restricting higher-risk premises, at minimum residential buildings of at least 18 metres or 7 storeys, to certified assessors, with an offence of practising above certification level. These are proposals and no date for legislation has been set.
Using AI is not in itself misrepresentation. The risk arises if you accept work on the basis of experience you do not have, or let a client believe you are competent for the premises type. Keep your stated experience accurate and be clear about any limits.
Not necessarily. PI usually covers the activities you declared, and some wordings restrict fire safety work by building type or height. Tell your broker before taking on care homes, hospitals or higher-risk buildings.
Tell us about your firm and the work you do. A broker will review how your current PI treats AI-assisted work, or arrange new cover. No fee for a quote. Or call 0117 325 0027.
Start a PI quote Request a callbackApex Insurance Brokers Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England and Wales, company number 07014570. This page is general information about how AI is used in the profession and how insurance may respond. It is not legal, regulatory or insurance advice on your circumstances, and it does not guarantee that cover will be available or on what terms.
