Fire Risk Assessments for Scottish Self-Catering Accommodation

A fire risk assessment for a Scottish self-catering property is not just a form to file with the licence paperwork. It is the process that connects the building, the people sleeping there, the possible causes of fire, and the measures needed to help everyone get out safely.

That is why a copied checklist is rarely enough. A compact stone cottage, a city flat above commercial premises and a group of woodland cabins can all be short-term lets, but their risks and escape arrangements will not look the same.

Does a Scottish self-catering property need a fire risk assessment?

Yes.

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service says that short-term let premises used for sleeping accommodation are subject to fire-safety duties under Part 3 of the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005. The duty holder must ensure that a fire risk assessment is carried out and kept under review.

This applies to more than traditional holiday cottages. The national sleeping-accommodation guidance also covers holiday lets, B&Bs, guest houses, bunkhouses, glamping and caravan sites, and other relevant premises where people sleep.

The licence process and fire-safety law overlap, but they are not the same piece of admin. A council licence does not remove the continuing duty to assess and manage fire risk.

Who is responsible for the assessment?

The duty normally sits with the person who operates or controls the premises. For a straightforward self-catering property, that is often the owner or operator.

Using a booking platform does not move the responsibility to the platform. Employing a cleaner, letting agent or maintenance company does not automatically transfer it either.

Where several people have some control, be clear about who coordinates fire safety, who arranges maintenance, who records defects and who checks that completed work has actually resolved the issue. A task can be delegated; the duty holder’s responsibility cannot simply be filed away with the contractor’s invoice.

Can you carry out the fire risk assessment yourself?

Only if you are competent to assess that property.

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service says a duty holder may carry out the assessment where they are competent, or use a suitably qualified third-party assessor. If you are unsure whether you have the necessary knowledge and ability, seek professional advice.

Property size is not the only test. Think about:

• The complexity of the layout and escape routes.
• The number and needs of guests.
• Whether sleeping rooms are above or below the main exit level.
• Shared stairs, mixed-use buildings or neighbouring commercial premises.
• Open-plan layouts and inner rooms.
• Unusual construction, heating, cooking or power arrangements.
• Cabins, pods, caravans or several units on one site.

When choosing an assessor, ask what experience they have with Scottish fire-safety law and sleeping accommodation. Confirm the property types they normally assess, what the visit includes, what record you will receive, and how they distinguish urgent action from longer-term improvement.

A polished template is not evidence of competence on its own.

What should the assessment look at?

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service describes a five-stage process. In practical terms, the assessment should connect five questions.

First, who could be at risk? Guests may be asleep, unfamiliar with the building, children, older, or temporarily affected by an injury. Do not assume everyone will respond quickly or already know which door leads outside.

Second, what could start or feed a fire? That could include cooking, heating, electrical equipment, smoking, candles, laundry, stored fuel, waste, furnishings or charging batteries.

Third, what would happen if a fire started? Look at detection, warning, escape, fire doors, lighting, signs where appropriate, and anything that could slow or confuse a guest.

Fourth, what measures are already in place, and are they suitable and maintained? The presence of an alarm or extinguisher is not the end of the question. Its type, position, condition, testing and relationship to the rest of the property matter.

Finally, what action is needed, who will do it and when will it be checked?

The aim is a reasoned record of the actual premises, not a collection of reassuring tick marks.

Is the Scottish Government’s Annex 2 relevant?

The Scottish Government’s practical guidance for premises with sleeping accommodation includes Annex 2 for small B&B and self-catering premises.

Use the scope and benchmarks carefully. Do not decide that a property is “small” only because it has a low bedroom count or looks like an ordinary house. Layout, occupancy, escape, construction and the way the accommodation is operated can all affect whether the benchmarks fit.

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service advises operators whose premises fall outside the scope of Annex 2 to seek advice from the local Fire Safety Enforcement team.

The annex is useful guidance, not a shortcut around assessing the real property.

What records should you keep?

For licensed premises, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service says the significant findings of the assessment must be recorded. The record should cover:

• The significant findings.
• The fire-safety measures put in place.
• People who may be especially at risk.
• Arrangements for planning, organising, controlling, monitoring and reviewing fire safety.

For many small premises, the Scottish Government guidance says a proportionate record may contain the significant findings, action taken as a result, and the emergency fire action plan.

Keep the working evidence with it:

• The current assessment and previous versions.
• A dated action plan.
• Invoices, certificates or photographs showing completed work.
• Alarm, emergency-lighting and other maintenance records where relevant.
• Notes about defects, false alarms or incidents.
• The current emergency instructions supplied to guests.
• The fire-safety checklist used for the licence application.

An assessment that identifies work without showing what happened next is an unfinished record.

How often should the assessment be renewed?

There is no single national expiry date that makes every fire risk assessment automatically valid for twelve months.

The assessment must be kept under review. Scottish Fire and Rescue Service says it should be reviewed regularly and when a previous assessment may be out of date, including after a significant change to the premises or the activities taking place there.

Useful review triggers include:

• Building work or a changed layout.
• A change to bedrooms, beds or licensed occupancy.
• New heating, cooking or electrical equipment.
• Changes to doors, windows or escape routes.
• A fire, near miss, repeated false alarm or serious guest report.
• A new type of guest use that changes who may be at risk.
• Safety guidance, licence conditions or professional recommendations changing.
• The existing assessment no longer describing what is physically present.

Set a sensible routine review date so the document is not forgotten, but do not wait for that date when something important changes.

Is the council fire-safety checklist the same thing?

No.

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service says applicants submit a fire-safety checklist and confirm that a fire risk assessment is in place. Some councils also require a copy of the assessment.

The checklist helps the licence consultation process. The assessment is the property-specific examination behind the answers. Completing one does not make the other unnecessary.

Check the current application and renewal instructions for your council. Local authorities issue the licences and can ask for supporting material as part of their process.

Do alarms and certificates replace the assessment?

No.

Smoke, heat and carbon-monoxide detection, electrical reports, PAT records and gas safety checks are all important. Each answers a narrower question.

The fire risk assessment brings the wider position together: who is at risk, how a fire might start, how guests will be warned, how they can escape, what measures are reasonable, and how those measures will be maintained.

A current EICR does not assess whether an unfamiliar guest can find the final exit at night. A working smoke alarm does not decide whether the escape route is suitable. A fire blanket does not correct an unsafe layout.

What should guests be told?

Guests need clear instructions that match the property.

Avoid vague wording such as “leave by the nearest exit” if a first-time visitor cannot identify that exit. Explain what they should do, where they should go, how to summon emergency help and which property address to give.

The instructions should come from the confirmed fire-safety arrangements. A guest folder must not invent an escape route that the assessment has never considered.

Our guest safety pack generator formats the information you supply and flags missing sections. It deliberately does not design escape instructions or replace the assessment.

A practical review routine

A manageable routine might look like this:

• Walk through the property with the current assessment in hand.
• Check that rooms, doors, equipment and escape arrangements still match it.
• Review open actions and keep evidence of completed work.
• Check maintenance and test records.
• Update the emergency fire action plan and guest instructions together.
• Record the review date, what you checked and any new action.
• Arrange competent help where the property or issue is outside your knowledge.
• Revisit the assessment sooner when something changes.

The valuable part is not changing the date at the top. It is noticing when the paperwork and the building have stopped describing each other.

FAQ

Keep the assessment connected to the property

Fire safety is not a once-per-licence upload. The assessment, action record, maintenance evidence and guest instructions need to move together when the property changes.

Use the Scottish STL compliance planner to see the wider set of property records, then use the guest safety pack generator to organise the confirmed information guests should be able to access.