After reviewing thousands of fire risk assessments, we've identified the 10 most common mistakes that leave buildings vulnerable. Here's what to look for and how to fix them.. The 10 Critical Mistakes 1. Unqualified Assessor Using someone without relevant fire safety qualifications. Always use a third party certified assessor (BAFE SP205 or IFE registered). 2. Not Covering External Walls Since the Fire Safety Act 2021, the assessment MUST cover structure, external walls, and flat entrance doors. 3. Desktop Only Assessments conducted from drawings alone without a thorough physical inspection. 4. Copy Paste Generic Content Boilerplate text that doesn't address the specific building's risks and features. 5. No Action Plan Identifying risks without providing clear, prioritised, time bound recommendations. 6. Ignoring Sleeping Risk Residential assessments that don't account for occupants being asleep during a fire. 7. Missing Vulnerable Persons Not considering elderly, disabled, or other vulnerable occupants in the risk assessment. 8. Outdated Information Assessments based on building conditions that have changed since the last review. 9. No Review Triggers Failing to specify when the assessment should be reviewed (change of use, significant works, fire incident). 10. Not Sharing with Residents For residential buildings, fire risk assessments must now be made available to residents on request. For professional fire risk assessments, contact Magnus Opifex.