On-Site Inspection in Truro
We carry out a thorough walk-through of your property to assess the current fire safety measures in place, looking at the building layout, use, and occupancy.
Fire Risk Assessments Truro
Protect your property and stay fire safe in Truro. Accredited fire risk assessments for landlords, business owners, holiday let operators, and property managers, delivered by qualified experts with over 20 years' combined housing enforcement experience.
Why Fire Risk Assessments Matter in Truro
Fire Safety Isn't Optional - Here's Why
If you own or manage a property in Truro, whether it's an HMO, rental home, small business premises, or holiday let, you have a legal responsibility to ensure it meets fire safety requirements. Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the "Responsible Person" must ensure a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment is in place and reviewed regularly.
Truro is Cornwall's only city, and its centre is mostly older buildings doing newer jobs. Georgian and Victorian townhouses along Lemon Street and the roads off Boscawen Street have been divided into flats and offices, the main shopping streets have accommodation above them, and the hospital, the college and the courts keep a steady demand for student, key-worker and professional lets. Very little of that stock was built for the use it has now.
That matters because a conversion usually keeps the building's original staircase, so one escape route ends up serving several front doors. The questions an assessment has to answer here are nearly always the same: does the separation between flats still exist after decades of alterations, do the doors onto the stairs hold smoke back, and is there detection in the shared parts that wakes everyone, not only the flat where the fire starts.
Failing to comply can result in fines, enforcement action, or even prosecution. Our accredited fire risk assessments give you peace of mind that your property in Truro meets both legal and industry standards.
Registered Fire Risk Assessors
We are registered Intermediate Fire Risk Assessors on the National Fire Risk Assessors Register (NFRAR), formerly the IFSM Tier 2 register. This means:
- – Our registration sits on a national register and can be checked at any time.
- – Our assessments stand up to legal and insurance scrutiny.
View our NFRAR certificates: Mandy Evans (No. 1776) · Tracy Tully (No. 1779)
What We Look At in Truro
The things that come up most in Truro property
Single-staircase conversions
One protected stairway serving several flats is the norm in the city centre. We look at whether it is still genuinely protected: the doors opening onto it, holes made for cables and pipes over the years, and what has been left on the landings.
Shops with flats above
Two different duty holders share one building and often one way out. The business premises and the shared parts get looked at together, so nothing is left assumed to be somebody else's job.
Student and shared houses
Three or more unrelated tenants sharing a kitchen or bathroom is usually a House in Multiple Occupation, which carries fire safety duties of its own on top of the Fire Safety Order.
Listed and period fabric
Upgrades in a listed building have to be proportionate and sympathetic. We set out what the risk actually calls for, so you are not pushed into work the building neither needs nor permits.
Areas covered from here: Truro and the surrounding area, including Threemilestone, Shortlanesend, Chacewater, Playing Place, Probus, Feock and Devoran.
Not sure which of these applies to your Truro property? Tell us what the building is and how it is let, and we will tell you plainly whether you need an assessment, and what it would involve.
Stay Ahead of Compliance Changes
Competence requirements for fire risk assessors are still under discussion rather than settled law. What has already changed is HHSRS enforcement, which is stricter under the Renters' Rights Act 2025. Landlords and duty holders should be ready for it.
Need to know more details?
What's Included
Helping you meet your legal duties and protect your property
Helping property owners across Truro stay compliant and protected. Our fire risk assessment process includes:
Identifying Fire Hazards
We identify any fire hazards or risks to life, such as sources of ignition, combustible materials, or issues that could delay evacuation in an emergency.
Fire Safety Systems Check
We assess your fire detection and alarm systems, escape routes, and emergency lighting to ensure they meet legal standards and work effectively.
Equipment & Signage Review
We check that fire doors are in good condition, extinguishers are present and serviced, and safety signage is clear, visible, and correctly placed.
Clear, Prioritised Report
You'll receive a detailed, easy-to-understand report outlining any issues, with a prioritised action plan so you know exactly what to address first.
Ongoing Support
We don't just leave you with a report, we're here to offer follow-up advice and guidance to help you implement changes and remain fully compliant over time.
Our Packages
Clear, Fair, and Fully Explained
We offer competitive, fixed-fee pricing based on property type and assessment needs, no hidden costs or confusing terms.
Fire Risk Assessment
Accredited fire risk assessments for landlords, small businesses, holiday lets, and mixed-use premises.
What's included?
- Full on-site inspection of the property
- Identification of potential fire hazards
- Review of fire escape routes, alarms, and equipment
- Check of fire doors, signage, and extinguishers
- Risk rating and compliance check
- Written report with recommended actions
HHSRS Assessment
Full Housing Health and Safety Rating System assessments to help you meet legal obligations.
What's included?
- Comprehensive on-site property inspection
- Identification of Category 1 and Category 2 hazards
- Photographic documentation of findings
- Practical guidance for compliance with the Housing Act 2004
- Clear, prioritised report tailored to your property type
- Follow-up advice to support remedial works
Combined Package
A cost-effective way to ensure full property safety compliance with both fire safety and housing health standards in one visit.
What's included?
- Full Fire Risk Assessment (as above)
- Full HHSRS Assessment (as above)
- Combined, prioritised action plan covering all safety requirements
- Reduced disruption with a single on-site visit
- Expert support to address both fire safety and housing hazards together
Consultancy
Tailored consultancy services for landlords, property managers, small business owners, and holiday let operators.
What's included?
- Licensing guidance for HMOs and other regulated properties
- Pre-purchase or pre-let compliance checks
- Fire safety and amenity standard advice
- Support with improvement notices and enforcement action
- Liaison with local authorities and fire officers on your behalf
Jodi Webb
“Highly recommend this company for fire safety risk assessments, HHSRS Assessments and training. They are highly qualified and experienced and provide accurate assessments and very useful guidance on the compliance minefields in holiday letting and residential lettings.”
Townsend Property
“PALS offer a great service to landlords and letting agents, with fire risk assessments and HHSRS assessments carried out by qualified professionals. We wholeheartedly recommend them.”
Creek & Country
“We are so glad we found PALS to carry out fire safety risk assessments. They are very knowledgeable and thorough. Thanks for all your help!”
Happy Clients
Proven. Reliable. Recommended.
We're proud to support landlords, letting agents, property managers, and small business owners with reliable, compliance-focused assessments. Here's what our clients say about working with us, every quote below is a real Google review.
- Free Consultations
- 100% Certified & Trusted
- Reports Within a Few Working Days
Read all our five-star reviews on Google →
- Mandy Evans, NFRAR Registered Assessor No. 1776
View certificate - Tracy Tully, NFRAR Registered Assessor No. 1779
View certificate
Areas We Cover
Also serving landlords across Cornwall
We carry out fire risk assessments across the whole of Cornwall and into Devon. Explore our other local pages, or head to the main service page for full details of what's included.
Ready to arrange your inspection?
Contact UsCommon Questions
Frequently asked questions answered
We understand that property compliance can feel overwhelming, so we've answered some common questions to help make things clearer.
Yes, for the shared parts. The Fire Safety Order covers the common hallways, stairs and entrances of any building containing two or more flats; it does not reach inside each private flat. It is still sensible to ask for a Type 3 assessment, which does look at the fire precautions inside the flats. The inside of a home is not covered by the Fire Safety Order, but it is covered by the LACORS fire safety guidance, and we can take that in as part of the same assessment. In a townhouse conversion that almost always means the single staircase everyone depends on. Since October 2023 the assessment has to be written down in full, however small the building.
If three or more unrelated tenants share a kitchen or bathroom, it is usually a House in Multiple Occupation. Where five or more people from more than one household live there, it normally needs a licence from Cornwall Council as well. HMOs carry their own fire safety duties under the management regulations, escape routes kept clear and protected, and equipment maintained, and a written assessment is the simplest way to show you have met them.
Responsibility follows control. The business is responsible for its own premises, you are responsible for what you control, and the shared entrance, hall and stairs belong to whoever manages the building, usually the freeholder or the managing agent. Where one escape route serves both uses, the two assessments have to agree with each other, and in practice that gap is where problems hide.
No. The assessment judges the risk in the building as it stands and sets out proportionate actions. Where a listed feature limits what can be altered, the answer is usually a different measure, better detection, self-closing devices, or management arrangements, rather than the loss of historic fabric. Anything that would need consent is flagged as such.
It depends on the building and how it is let. The Fire Safety Order covers the shared parts of any building with two or more flats, houses in multiple occupation, holiday lets and small commercial premises, and for those a written assessment is needed. A house let to one household is not covered by the Order, though its safety is still dealt with under the housing regime, which is where an HHSRS assessment comes in. For flats it is worth asking for a Type 3 assessment, which also looks at the fire precautions inside the flats under the LACORS guidance.
HHSRS stands for the Housing Health and Safety Rating System. It's a government framework used to assess potential health and safety risks in rental properties. Landlords are required to ensure their properties meet these standards to avoid enforcement action.
Costs vary depending on the type, size and layout of your property. We'll provide a personalised quote after discussing your needs, no obligation, no hidden fees.
On-site assessments typically take 1 to 2 hours. Once completed, we aim to deliver your report within a few working days, depending on the type of service.
We offer in-person services across Devon and Cornwall, with digital consultations available for some services if you're based further afield.
Absolutely. With over 20 years of combined experience in housing compliance, including working within local authority teams, we know what enforcement officers are looking for. We'll help you feel confident and prepared.