Fire risk assessments in Essex

We cover Essex, focusing on the districts closest to London: Brentwood, Chelmsford, Basildon, Harlow, Epping Forest and Thurrock. We carry out fire risk assessments there for landlords, managing agents, freeholders, housing providers and business owners. The property mix is wide: post-war new-town blocks in Harlow and Basildon, former office buildings turned into flats, commuter apartments near Brentwood and Shenfield stations, terraced lets in Grays and Tilbury, and commercial premises along the A12 and A127.

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service enforces fire safety law across the county and both unitary councils, an area of more than 1,400 square miles with around 1.8 million residents. As well as assessments, we inspect fire doors and service fire alarms, emergency lighting and smoke ventilation in shared buildings.

Where we work in Essex

• Brentwood
• Shenfield
• Chelmsford
• Basildon
• Harlow
• Epping Forest (Epping, Loughton, Waltham Abbey)
• Thurrock (Grays, Tilbury, Purfleet)

New towns, office conversions and seafront flats

Harlow and Basildon were among the first post-war new towns, and Harlow in particular saw many office blocks turned into flats under permitted development. By March 2019, 13 office buildings in Harlow had been converted into more than 1,000 homes; Terminus House alone became 214 small flats, and some units in Templefields House are around 18 square metres. These buildings were not designed as housing, so the separation between flats, the protection of the stair and whether a commercial alarm system suits people sleeping in the building all need careful checking.

Thurrock, on the Thames beside Havering, has terraced private lets and shared houses in Grays and Tilbury, and a Thurrock council report records that Essex Police and the fire service supported wider HMO licensing there because of fire risk and anti-social behaviour. Brentwood, Chelmsford and the Epping Forest towns of Loughton and Epping are more owner-occupied, but have plenty of flats in converted houses and small purpose-built blocks, where the usual problems are fire doors that no longer close, gaps around service pipes and storage on the stairs.