What does an annual fire safety statement cost?
What drives the price of the annual assessment and statement, and why a single quote figure is misleading.
Why there is no single price
The cost of an AFSS is really the cost of the annual assessment behind it, and that depends on how many essential fire safety measures are on the building's schedule and how complex they are. A small building with a handful of measures is a short assessment. A large mixed-use or high-rise building with sprinklers, hydrants, mechanical smoke systems and extensive passive fire separation is a much longer one. Any figure quoted without reference to your schedule is a guess.
What moves the price
The main drivers are the number and type of measures on the schedule, the size and height of the building, how accessible the measures are for inspection, and whether specialist measures need a practitioner accredited for that specific measure. Rectification is separate and additional: if a measure fails the assessment, repairing it is its own cost and is not part of the assessment fee.
How to get a meaningful quote
Give the practitioner a copy of your current fire safety schedule before asking for a price, so the quote reflects the actual measures. Ask whether the quote covers assessment only or also re-inspection after rectification. Ask whether their accreditation covers every measure, or whether a second practitioner is needed for a specialist measure, which adds cost. Comparing quotes only works when each is scoped to the same schedule.
Budgeting note
Treat the annual assessment as a recurring fixed obligation and budget for it each year, and hold a separate contingency for rectification, because measures do fail over a building's life. The expensive outcome to avoid is a missed deadline: council late-lodgement penalties escalate weekly and quickly exceed the cost of the assessment itself.
Sources
- Environmental Planning and Assessment (Development Certification and Fire Safety) Regulation 2021 (NSW).
- City of Sydney, register your annual fire safety statement (late-lodgement penalty schedule).
This is general information, not legal or compliance advice. Confirm current requirements and figures with your council and the FPAA register.