Fire-risk assessments for Pembrokeshire holiday lets

A holiday cottage is not a permanent home. Guests meet the stairs for the first time after a long drive. They cook once, leave towels somewhere stupid, and sleep in rooms you barely use yourself. If your fire-risk assessment ignores that, it is the wrong assessment.

Here is how we think about suitable and sufficient assessments for Pembrokeshire short stays — without turning your let into a checklist factory.

Why short stays need a different lens

A suitable and sufficient fire-risk assessment names hazards, people at risk, and the measures that reduce risk so far as reasonably practicable. For holiday lets, the “people at risk” picture is awkward in a useful way:

• Guests do not know your stairs, latches, or quirks
• Occupancy flips weekly — families one turn, couples the next
• Cleaners and managers often know the place better than the owner between bookings
• Heating and cooking habits vary more than in a long-term home

That is why fire risk assessments for holiday lets start with guest use, not a floor plan alone.

What we usually walk through on site

Every property differs, but a Pembrokeshire visit typically covers:

1. Layout and sleeping — lofts, annexes, sofa beds that only appear in August
2. Detection — smoke and heat relative to kitchens and bedrooms
3. Means of escape — especially multi-level stock in Tenby and harbour towns
4. Heating and cooking — solid fuel, gas, electric risks in character buildings
5. Guest information — whether the welcome pack explains exits without sounding like a lecture
6. Management — who acts between turnovers, and where records live

Coastal and character buildings

Stone cottages around St Davids, castle-town houses in Pembroke, and compact harbour lets often mean thick walls, steep stairs, and limited alternative exits. Proportionate recommendations respect that. The aim is clarity for guests — not an institutional interior.

Preparing without the panic tidy

A little prep helps:

• Access to all guest areas, including annexes and lofts
• Any existing detectors, extinguishers, or old reports
• How you market the place (sleeps how many, family-friendly, pets)
• Peak-season pattern and whether a local manager handles turnovers

Unsure where to start? Book a free compliance consultation and we will talk scope before any visit.

After the visit

You should leave with written findings and prioritised next steps — not a scare-led shopping list. Many owners also ask for a documentation pack so cleaners and managers follow the same notes between seasons.

Across the county

We work with owners across Pembrokeshire — south-coast apartments to north-coast cottages. One cottage or five: same order of work. Talk it through, visit between bookings if we can, write it down so the next cleaner is not guessing.

Book the visit

Want a practical fire-risk assessment for your let? Request a fire-risk assessment or skim our work. We reply within one working day and aim for changeover gaps where we can.