What is it?
BAFE SP205 is a third-party certification scheme for organisations that carry out life safety fire risk assessments for others. BAFE manages the scheme, and certification is carried out by UKAS accredited certification bodies such as NSI and SSAIB. It covers providers of every size, from sole traders to large organisations with several assessors, and exists to give you independent evidence that a provider is competent to deliver a quality fire risk assessment.
You are allowed to carry out your own fire risk assessment if you are confident you can. BAFE strongly recommends using a third-party certificated provider if you are not.
What does it check?
- Assessor competence. Assessors must show experience in the practice of fire safety, appropriate training records, evidence of successfully applying their knowledge, and documented continuing professional development. Competence is checked when an assessor is first appointed and reviewed at intervals of no more than 36 months.
- Quality management. The provider must run an effective management system covering every aspect of the service.
- Report quality. The finished assessment must be clear and easy for anyone to understand. It must record every significant detail found, an assessment of the nature and severity of the risk, and the actions recommended to remove or reduce it.
- Independent validation. Every assessment is checked and signed off by a designated Validator within the certificated organisation before it reaches you. Validators have to meet strong competency requirements and show, through records, that validation is carried out objectively and is a separate activity from the assessment itself.
- Governance and ongoing audit. Certified providers are independently audited against the scheme requirements on a regular basis.
Why does it matter?
The 2026 NSI and BAFE Buyers Report found 83% of buyers recognise third-party certification as a demonstration of assessor competence. Choosing a certified provider gives you a clear, documented answer if you are asked how you selected your assessor.
It also matters more than it used to. Since Section 156 of the Building Safety Act you must record who carried out your assessment, and the government has said it will legislate to make independent verification of fire risk assessor competence mandatory. Certification to SP205 is the established way to show that today. See Section 156 explained.
The latest version
BAFE published Version 6 of SP205 in November 2025. It is mapped against BS 8674:2025, the British Standard for the competence of individual fire risk assessors, and takes a tiered approach that recognises assessors at foundation and advanced levels, with a level in between. The tiers help make sure assessors work within their competence level, and that complex work is supported by more experienced people. BAFE has given existing registered organisations a transition period to align with the new qualification requirements.
Verifying a provider
Do not just specify certification, verify it. BAFE runs several schemes for different fire safety services, such as fire alarms and extinguisher servicing, so being on the BAFE register does not by itself show a provider is certificated for fire risk assessment. Check that they are registered to SP205 specifically, using the BAFE register, before you award the work. You can ask BAFE directly if you are unsure.
Ours is BAFE registered organisation ID 302942. Check us on the BAFE register.
More on choosing an assessor
Certification is one of several checks. See how to choose a competent fire risk assessor and how we prove our competence.
Source
Based on information published by BAFE, including its fire risk assessment guidance and its SP205 Version 6 announcement, checked in October 2026.
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