Pembrokeshire runs on tourism. Most of the accommodation is legally in scope, and a fair slice of it has nothing written down.
Guests are asleep in an unfamiliar building. They do not know where the back door is, which way the stairs turn, or that the smoke alarm in the hall has had its battery taken out. That is why sleeping risk pushes a property up the priority list for the fire service, and why the assessment has to be more than a checklist.
It applies to cottages, converted barns, annexes, flats, static caravans, lodges, shepherd's huts, glamping pods and bunkhouses.
Travel distances, inner rooms, window sizes on first floors, and whether a loft conversion has quietly created a problem.
Grade and coverage, interlinking, heat detection in kitchens, and carbon monoxide where there is a stove or boiler.
Hearths, guards, flue condition, log storage and the guest instructions that go with them. A common find in Pembrokeshire cottages.
Cylinder location, ventilation, hoses and dates. Standard on parks and in remote properties.
Upholstery labelling, doors to risk rooms, and self-closers where they are actually needed rather than everywhere.
What is in the welcome folder, whether the escape plan is on the back of the door, and whether it matches the building.
Caravan and camping parks bring in spacing between units, road access for appliances, amenity blocks, clubhouses, gas compounds and staff accommodation. We assess the site as a whole and give you a single report rather than a folder of disconnected paperwork.
If you also run a bar, kitchen or fuel store, ask about combining it with a DSEAR assessment in the same visit.
Yes. Self-catering accommodation is not a single private dwelling in the eyes of the Fire Safety Order, so the responsible person, usually the owner, must carry out and record an assessment.
Same answer. Sleeping accommodation let to the public is in scope. The assessment will be shorter, but it still has to exist and be recorded.
Most of the large agencies now do, and several will not list a property without one. Insurers ask too, and a claim can be argued over if there is no assessment on file.
In practice, mains-powered interlinked detection is the expectation in self-catering accommodation, with the exact grade depending on layout, storeys and escape route. The assessment sets out what your particular property needs.
Tell us the building and we will give you a price on the phone. Most assessments are booked within the week.