BS 9792:2025: What Changed from PAS 79-2 and Why It Matters

What is BS 9792:2025?

BS 9792:2025 is a British Standard published by BSI that provides recommendations for carrying out fire risk assessments in housing. It covers houses in multiple occupation (HMOs), purpose-built and converted blocks of flats, sheltered and supported housing, student accommodation, and the common areas of mixed-use buildings that provide access to residential accommodation.

It came into effect on 31 August 2025 and supersedes PAS 79-2:2020, which was withdrawn back in August 2021. That left a gap of over four years where housing assessors were effectively working without a current, dedicated standard. BS 9792 fills that gap, and it does considerably more than repackage what PAS 79-2 contained.

Why was PAS 79-2 replaced?

PAS 79-2 was always intended as a stepping stone. When PAS 79 was split in 2020 into Part 1 (commercial) and Part 2 (housing), the housing document was published as a Publicly Available Specification rather than a full British Standard. It served its purpose, but it was quickly overtaken by events.

The Fire Safety Act 2021 clarified that the scope of the Fire Safety Order extends to the structure, external walls, and flat entrance doors of multi-occupied residential buildings. The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 introduced specific duties for responsible persons in residential buildings, including quarterly checks on communal fire doors, annual checks on flat entrance doors, the provision of fire safety information to residents, and additional requirements for high-rise buildings over 18 metres and buildings over 11 metres. The Building Safety Act 2022 created an entirely new regulatory framework for higher-risk buildings.

PAS 79-2 predated all of this. A Publicly Available Specification could not keep pace with a legislative landscape that had changed fundamentally since Grenfell. A full British Standard, developed through a formal committee process with industry-wide input, was needed to bring housing fire risk assessment methodology up to date.

What are the key differences between BS 9792 and PAS 79-2?

The differences go beyond a change of title. Three stand out as the most significant for working assessors.

A nine-step methodology replaces the five-step approach. PAS 79-2 used the same five-step framework as PAS 79-1 and the Government’s fire safety checklist. BS 9792 breaks the process down into nine distinct steps: gathering premises and occupant information, identifying fire hazards and their controls, assessing the likelihood of fire, determining fire protection measures, evaluating fire safety management, assessing the likely consequences of fire, making an overall fire risk judgment, formulating an action plan, and setting a review date.

This is not nine steps for the sake of having more steps. The standard itself makes the point that the number is irrelevant; what matters is that assessors follow a structured approach that addresses all the relevant issues. The real change is in how likelihood and consequence are treated. Under the five-step model, these tended to be folded into a single evaluation. BS 9792 separates them explicitly, requiring the assessor to form a view on each independently before combining them into a risk level. For housing, where the consequences of fire can be severe (sleeping occupants, limited escape options in some building types, residents with specific evacuation requirements), this distinction is important. It forces a more considered judgment rather than a single instinctive assessment.

Person-Centred Fire Risk Assessments are formally addressed. PAS 79-2 touched on vulnerable occupants, but BS 9792 introduces a dedicated clause on PCFRAs with a model pro forma in Annex E. A PCFRA is a focused assessment carried out with an individual resident, examining their characteristics, the fire hazards specific to their living situation, their likely response to a fire or alarm, and whether they can evacuate independently or need support.

The fire risk assessor is not normally expected to carry out PCFRAs themselves. But BS 9792 is clear that the assessor must evaluate whether the responsible person has adequate processes in place for identifying residents who need a PCFRA, whether those assessments have been completed, and whether the findings have been acted on. If no process exists, the action plan should say so. If a PCFRA has identified a resident who cannot self-evacuate and no arrangements are in place to support them, that is a significant finding in the main fire risk assessment.

This is an area where assessors need to be especially careful about the real-world implications of their findings. A gap in PCFRA provision is not an administrative deficiency. It could mean a resident is left without a viable escape plan in the event of a fire.

Expanded coverage of fire protection measures. BS 9792 introduces a more granular structure for assessing fire protection. Clause 15 is subdivided into twelve distinct areas: general considerations, fire detection and warning, means of escape, signs and notices, emergency escape lighting, manual firefighting equipment, separating elements and measures to limit fire spread, automatic water-based suppression systems, loadbearing elements of structure, external wall assessment, smoke control systems, and systems and facilities for use by the fire and rescue service.

The external wall assessment section reflects the post-Grenfell reality. The assessor must consider external wall construction and note the presence of any combustible materials such as rainscreen cladding, spandrel panels, balconies, and photovoltaic panels. Where concerns exist, the action plan should recommend a specialist fire risk appraisal of external walls in accordance with PAS 9980. The standard is clear that a general fire risk assessment is not a substitute for a specialist FRAEW.

Flat entrance doors receive specific attention throughout BS 9792, reflecting their critical role in the stay-put strategy used in most purpose-built blocks. The standard notes that the fire performance of doors separating residents’ accommodation from communal escape routes is one of the most important issues in any housing FRA. This aligns with the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 requirement for quarterly checks on communal fire doors and annual checks on flat entrance doors.

How should assessors transition to BS 9792?

The honest answer is that the transition is not optional. PAS 79-2 has been withdrawn. Any housing fire risk assessment carried out today should follow BS 9792. Continuing to work to a withdrawn standard would be difficult to defend as competent practice, particularly if the assessment were scrutinised by an enforcing authority or challenged in court.

In practical terms, the transition means getting hold of the standard and reading it properly. BS 9792 is a 123-page document with detailed commentary, a new pro forma in Annex A, guidance on means of escape assessment in Annex C, a comprehensive table on occupant characteristics and their impact on escape in Annex D, and the PCFRA guidance in Annex E. It is considerably more substantial than PAS 79-2.

Assessors working with existing report templates will need to update them. The nine-step structure, the separated likelihood and consequence assessments, the expanded fire protection sections, and the PCFRA requirements all need to be reflected in the documented assessment. A report structured around the old five-step model will not demonstrate compliance with BS 9792.

For assessors who also work on commercial premises, the key discipline is keeping the two standards separate. PAS 79-1 and BS 9792 share underlying principles but differ in methodology, structure, and emphasis. Housing assessments require consideration of sleeping risk, stay-put strategies, flat entrance door performance, evacuation of residents with specific needs, and the interaction with the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022. These are not afterthoughts to bolt onto a commercial template. They are central to the assessment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is BS 9792 mandatory?

BS 9792 is a code of practice, not legislation. The legal requirement comes from the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, which requires a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment. However, BS 9792 is now the recognised standard for housing fire risk assessments, and working to it is the clearest way to demonstrate that your methodology is suitable and sufficient.

What are the four types of fire risk assessment under BS 9792?

BS 9792 sets out four types of fire risk assessment for housing, which differ in how much of the building is inspected and whether intrusive opening-up is used. A Type 1 assessment covers the common parts on a non-intrusive basis and is the most common. A Type 2 also covers the common parts but adds intrusive inspection of construction that is not normally visible. A Type 3 covers the common parts and a sample of dwellings non-intrusively, and a Type 4 covers the common parts and dwellings with intrusive inspection. The appropriate type depends on the building, its history, and the information already available about its construction.

Does BS 9792 apply in Scotland and Northern Ireland?

The standard is drafted to be applicable across the UK, with references to the relevant fire safety legislation for England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. The principles and methodology apply regardless of jurisdiction, though the specific legislative framework differs.

Do I need to carry out PCFRAs as part of a fire risk assessment?

Not directly. BS 9792 is clear that the fire risk assessor is not normally expected to carry out PCFRAs. However, you must assess whether the responsible person has processes in place for identifying residents who need one, whether PCFRAs have been completed where needed, and whether the findings have been incorporated into fire safety arrangements. If these processes are absent or inadequate, it should be flagged in your action plan.

What happens to assessments completed under PAS 79-2?

Existing assessments do not automatically become invalid, but they should be reviewed against BS 9792 at the next scheduled review. If the assessment is due for review now, or if there have been significant changes to the premises or legislation since it was last completed, a new assessment to BS 9792 is the appropriate course of action.

FireRecord supports both BS 9792 and PAS 79-1 assessments, with dedicated checklists, section structures, and report templates aligned to each standard’s methodology. Find out more at firerecord.co.uk.