Haverfordwest is the county town, so it has the widest mix of premises in Pembrokeshire. Offices and professional services around the centre, national retail on the Withybush and Merlin's Bridge parks, light industry on the Withybush estate, and a dense core of older buildings on High Street and Bridge Street with flats and storage above the shops.
We are 15 minutes away, so there is no travel charge and no waiting a fortnight for a slot.
Those upper floors are where most of our findings come from. A shop that was assessed on its ground floor alone, with a stockroom, a staff kitchen and sometimes a let flat above it, is a common picture here. Responsibility between the shop tenant and the building owner is often assumed rather than agreed, which is exactly what the co-operation duty introduced in October 2023 is aimed at.
We work across High Street, Bridge Street, Castle Square, Merlin's Bridge, Prendergast, Withybush, Fortunes Frolic and the retail parks out towards Salutation Square, and out into the surrounding parishes. Population is around 14,000.
The rule that caught most people out. Since 1 October 2023 the five‑employee recording exemption no longer exists in Wales. Every responsible person in Haverfordwest must record the fire risk assessment in full, along with their fire safety arrangements, however small the business.
Haverfordwest's old core is largely three-storey. The ground floor trades, the first floor is stock or an office, and the second is often a flat. That stack is one building for fire safety purposes even when it has three different occupiers, and the escape route from the top flat usually runs past the risk on the ground floor. It is the single most common thing we find here and the one that most often has nothing written down.
Light industrial units, vehicle work, joinery, print, distribution and trade counters. Most need a fire risk assessment, and a good number also need a DSEAR assessment for solvents, paint, dust extraction or forklift charging. Booking both together saves a second visit and stops the two reports contradicting each other.
Solicitors, accountants, surveyors and agencies around the town centre, often in converted period buildings with a single staircase and a loft conversion nobody assessed.
HMOs across Prendergast and the streets off City Road. Licensing officers ask for the recorded assessment, and since October 2023 that has to be the full version rather than a summary.
What the building is, how many floors, whether anyone sleeps there. Enough to fix a price.
A 15 minute drive. We walk the building with whoever knows it best, photographing as we go.
Recorded in full within five working days, with a numbered and prioritised action list.
Yes, and it is fifteen minutes from us. Industrial units on Withybush are some of our most common jobs, often alongside a DSEAR assessment for the same site.
Both of you have duties. You are responsible for your unit, the landlord for the common parts and the structure. The law expects you to co-operate and share information. In practice we assess whichever part you control and tell you plainly what the other party needs to sort out.
Fifteen minutes from Milford Haven, and we can usually offer something inside the week. If you have had a letter from the fire service, say so when you ring and we will bring it forward.
Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 the responsible person for any non‑domestic premises must carry out a fire risk assessment. Since 1 October 2023, section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022 requires it to be recorded in full, along with your fire safety arrangements, regardless of how many people you employ. Enforcement in Haverfordwest sits with Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service.
What it costs → · Free pre‑visit checklist → · What happens on the day →
Tell us the building and we will give you a price on the phone. Most assessments are booked within the week.