Fire and rescue services in England completed 50,195 fire safety audits in 2025/26; 29,909 (60%) were satisfactory and 20,286 (40%) unsatisfactory. The figures come from MHCLG’s latest prevention and protection release and tables FIRE1202 and FIRE1204. Audits are targeted, so these outcomes do not estimate the compliance of all UK buildings or an individual premises’ chance of failing.
It is written for the two questions every responsible person actually asks — “will I get audited, and what fails?” — as well as for fire risk assessors, FSO compliance writers, property and care-home publications, and insurers who cite this release each year. Every figure is dated and sourced. This page covers audits and formal notices served under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 only; prosecutions and fines are a separate topic and are handed off with a single signpost below.
Key facts and figures
- 50,195 fire safety audits in England in 2025/26, down 1.6% from the revised 50,996 in 2024/25.
- 60% — 29,909 audits had a satisfactory outcome.
- 20,286 audits (40%) were unsatisfactory and required further action.
- 3,355 formal notifications including prosecutions, up 11% from the revised 3,026 in 2024/25.
- 1,896 enforcement notices, alongside 1,224 prohibition notices, 202 alteration notices and 33 prosecutions.
- 11,286 recorded breaches of Article 14 (emergency routes and exits), the most frequently cited article.
- 347 enforcement notices went to shops, 18% of enforcement notices.
- 5.6 hours — average time spent per audit; unsatisfactory audits averaged 1.7 hours longer than satisfactory audits.
England figures cover April 2025 to March 2026 and were published on 2 September 2026. Checked on 15 October 2026. Earlier-year figures use revisions in the latest tables; devolved figures below have their own reporting periods.
How many fire safety audits are carried out each year?
England’s fire and rescue authorities completed 50,195 audits in 2025/26, down 1.6% from 50,996 in 2024/25. Audits assess compliance with the Fire Safety Order at premises within its scope, including non-domestic premises and common parts of multi-occupied residential buildings.
Services use risk-based inspection programmes. The premises audited are not a random sample, and their outcomes cannot be treated as a national probability of compliance. Average audit time was 5.6 hours; unsatisfactory audits took an average of 1.7 hours longer than satisfactory audits.
The total includes 44,669 full audits and 5,526 short audits. Services also recorded 238,768 other fire-safety activities, including consultations and non-statutory activity. Those are distinct activities and should not be added to the audit total as if all were full compliance inspections.
What percentage of fire safety audits fail in the UK?
20,286 of the 50,195 audits in England in 2025/26 were unsatisfactory (40.4%, rounded to 40% in the release). The 29,909 satisfactory outcomes represent 59.6%, rounded to 60%. The revised satisfactory rate for 2024/25 was 59%; the series low of 58% was in 2023/24.
An unsatisfactory audit means further action is needed. It does not automatically result in a formal notice or prosecution. Services recorded 18,039 informal notifications in 2025/26, down 6.2% from 19,232 in 2024/25.
These are outcomes among premises selected for audit. A responsible person should assess the actual risks and compliance of their building, rather than use the national audited sample as its predicted failure rate. Fire wardens can support arrangements, but responsibility for legal compliance remains with the relevant duty-holder.
How many fire safety enforcement notices are issued each year?
The official formal-notification total was 3,355 in England in 2025/26, including 33 prosecutions. The remaining 3,322 were enforcement, prohibition or alteration notices. The table keeps the total’s definition explicit rather than treating prosecutions as a fourth type of notice.
| Notice type | FSO article | Number (2025/26) | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enforcement notice | Article 30 | 1,896 | Requires specified steps to remedy non-compliance within a period |
| Prohibition notice | Article 31 | 1,224 | Prohibits or restricts use where risk is sufficiently serious |
| Alteration notice | Article 29 | 202 | Requires notification before specified changes |
| Total formal notifications | Includes Article 32 prosecutions | 3,355 | 3,322 notices plus 33 prosecutions; up 11% overall |
Enforcement notices increased from 1,773 to 1,896 (6.9%), prohibition notices from 965 to 1,224 (27%), and alteration notices fell from 253 to 202 (20%). A prohibition notice can restrict use of all or part of premises where the risk is sufficiently serious; it is not the automatic outcome of every unsatisfactory audit.
Which Fire Safety Order breaches are most common?
Article 14, covering emergency routes and exits, was cited 11,286 times in 2025/26, up 9.3% from the revised 10,322 in 2024/25. It accounted for 13% of all recorded article-level breaches. A single audit can identify breaches of several articles.
| FSO article | What it covers | Breaches (2025/26) |
|---|---|---|
| Article 14 | Emergency routes and exits | 11,286 |
| Article 17 | Maintenance | 9,727 |
| Article 9 | Risk assessment | 9,271 |
Article 17 maintenance breaches numbered 9,727 and Article 9 risk-assessment breaches 9,271. Together with Article 14, these were the three most frequently cited provisions. The categories include technical and management failures as well as everyday checks; the data does not show that wardens alone could have prevented them.
Which premises are most likely to be served a notice?
Shops received 347 enforcement notices in 2025/26 (18% of all enforcement notices), followed by purpose-built flats of six to nine storeys with 211 (11%) and licensed premises with 195 (10%). These are counts, not each type’s probability of receiving a notice.
| Premises type | Enforcement notices (2025/26) | Share of enforcement notices | Audits (2025/26) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shops | 347 | 18% | 8,932 |
| Purpose-built flats, 6–9 storeys | 211 | 11% | 1,303 |
| Licensed premises | 195 | 10% | 4,940 |
Inspection coverage and risk-based targeting differ between premises types. Shops had the largest audit count, while the highest unsatisfactory proportion was among purpose-built flats of six to nine storeys (51% of their 1,303 audits). Neither measure describes every building in that category.
What about Scotland, Wales and London?
Welsh fire and rescue authorities completed 2,117 audits of non-domestic premises in 2024/25, around 2% of known premises. This is the latest Welsh operational release available at the audit date and uses a different reporting period from England’s figures above.
Scotland recorded 8,464 non-domestic fire-safety audits in 2025/26, down from 8,768. Scottish enforcement operates under its own fire-safety legislation. London Fire Brigade’s separate dataset lists inspections and visits for advice, audits and remedial checks; its broader activity count is not interchangeable with the national audit measure.
Read the nation, date, legal regime and activity definition with each figure. London is within the England total, so adding the two would double-count activity.
Where do prosecutions and other enforcement fit?
England’s 2025/26 figures include 33 prosecutions under Article 32 of the Fire Safety Order. They are included in the official total of 3,355 formal notifications but are separate from the three notice types. This count does not state the number of convictions, fines or people convicted.
Enforcement under health-and-safety legislation and domestic prevention visits are separate activities. Keeping those definitions distinct avoids presenting every notice as a prosecution or every visit as a compliance audit.
Frequently asked questions
What percentage of fire safety audits fail (are unsatisfactory) in the UK?
In England, 20,286 of 50,195 audits in 2025/26 were unsatisfactory, or 40% when rounded. These risk-targeted audits do not estimate the compliance rate of all UK buildings.
How many fire safety enforcement notices are issued each year?
England recorded 1,896 enforcement notices, 1,224 prohibition notices and 202 alteration notices in 2025/26. Together with 33 prosecutions, these make up 3,355 formal notifications.
Which Fire Safety Order breaches are most common?
In England in 2025/26, Article 14 emergency routes and exits was cited 11,286 times, Article 17 maintenance 9,727 times, and Article 9 risk assessment 9,271 times. An audit can identify several breaches.
Which types of premises are most likely to receive a fire safety enforcement notice?
Shops received the largest number of enforcement notices in England in 2025/26: 347. Purpose-built flats of six to nine storeys received 211 and licensed premises 195. These counts are not probabilities for every premises of those types.
Where do UK fire safety enforcement statistics come from?
MHCLG publishes England’s prevention and protection statistics and tables FIRE1202 and FIRE1204. The latest release covers 2025/26. Scotland, Wales and London publish separate data with differing coverage and definitions.
What is the difference between an enforcement notice and a prohibition notice?
An enforcement notice requires remedial action under Article 30. A prohibition notice under Article 31 prohibits or restricts use where risk is sufficiently serious. England recorded 1,896 and 1,224 respectively in 2025/26.
In England, 40% of targeted fire-safety audits in 2025/26 were unsatisfactory. Escape routes, maintenance and risk assessment were the most frequently cited areas of non-compliance. Our Fire Warden Training course covers exactly those checks — escape routes, equipment, evacuation and assembly-point management — for £18 per learner, RoSPA approved and CPD accredited, 60 to 90 minutes online with an instant certificate on passing and bulk discounts from 10 delegates.
Related guides
- Fire and Rescue Service Statistics UK: Incidents, Stations & Funding
- Fire Evacuation Statistics UK: Rescues, Drills & Behaviour Data
- Fire Door Statistics UK: Failures, Inspections & Compliance
- High-Rise Fire Statistics UK: Buildings, Cladding & Risk
- Fire marshal responsibilities: the complete UK duties list
Sources & references
- MHCLG — Fire prevention and protection, England, 2025/26
- MHCLG — FIRE1202 audits and notifications; FIRE1204 article-level breaches
- SFRS — Fire safety and organisational statistics, 2025/26
- Welsh Government — Operational statistics, 2024/25
- London Fire Brigade — Regulatory inspections and audits dataset
- Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
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Mark writes about workplace health & safety, fire safety and accredited online training for Fire Warden Training, part of Online CPD Academy.