Annual Fire Safety Statements & How to Avoid Costly Mistakes

If you’re responsible for managing a commercial, residential, or strata property, amongst the most critical compliance tasks you face each year, is lodging your Annual Fire Safety Statement (AFSS). Done right, it’s a cornerstone of protecting your tenants, your property, and your business reputation, which this article aims to help you achieve.

For many property owners and managers, the AFSS process feels like paperwork for paperwork’s sake, but that attitude is risky. Done wrong, it can lead to hefty fines, invalidated insurance, or worse, put lives in danger. Done right, it’s a cornerstone of protecting your tenants, your property, and your business reputation.

At Essential Asset & Fire, we’ve seen the good, the bad, and the expensive when it comes to AFSS compliance. This guide is here to help you understand what’s required, where people go wrong  and how to avoid common and costly mistakes.

An Annual Fire Safety Statement (AFSS) is a legally required document for most buildings in NSW. It’s your formal declaration to the local council and Fire and Rescue NSW that the essential fire safety measures (EFSMs) within your building — like hydrants, extinguishers, exit signs, alarms, and more — have been properly maintained and are capable of operating effectively in an emergency.

The Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2021 governs these obligations. In simple terms:

More importantly, these measures are in place because fires happen. According to Fire and Rescue NSW, they respond to over 4,000 structure fires each year — and failures in fire safety systems often contribute to outcomes far worse than they need to be.

From February 2026, all essential fire safety measures must be maintained in line with AS 1851-2012, the Australian Standard for routine servicing of fire protection systems

Councils are also under increasing pressure to ensure buildings meet standards and legislation is becoming increasingly precise. Recent reforms have made it mandatory for accredited practitioners to assess all essential fire safety measures before your AFSS is submitted. No more shortcuts, no more assumptions.

Additionally, we’re seeing insurers demand stricter proof of compliance before they’ll honour fire-related claims. If you can’t produce a current AFSS, you might find yourself out of pocket — regardless of how faithfully you’ve paid your premiums.

Consider this:

In short: compliance protects more than just lives, it protects your investments.

Over the years at Essential Asset & Fire, we’ve noticed a pattern in the mistakes that cost property owners time, money, and stress. Here’s what to avoid.

We’ve had more panicked calls than we can count from owners who realise their AFSS is due… next week. The reality is, these assessments take time. If faults are found, rectifications aren’t always immediate, some parts or works may require weeks to arrange.

Solution: Start your AFSS process at least three months before your due date. This allows time for inspections, reporting, repairs, and final certification.

Only a NSW-accredited practitioner (fire safety) can certify the effectiveness of your essential fire safety measures. Using a general handyman, building manager, or non-accredited contractor means your AFSS submission is invalid.

Solution: Always verify accreditation through the NSW Fair Trading Accredited Practitioner Register.

A leaking hydrant booster or broken exit light may seem minor, but come AFSS time, it’s a fail. Small issues snowball into big compliance headaches if left unattended.

Lost paperwork leads to delays. Councils require sight of previous AFSS submissions. Insurers require maintenance logs. Poor documentation can cause fines, delays, and increased costs.

Solution: Maintain a secure, centralised digital compliance register. NSW law requires you to keep these documents readily available for council or fire inspections. At Asset & Fire, our clients enjoy online access to all records via our secure portal.

If you modify your fire systems (even minor upgrades), these must be re-assessed before your next AFSS. Missing this step leads to non-compliance.

Solution: Notify your fire safety provider immediately of any changes. They can advise if re-certification is needed.

Owners often wrongly assume their tenants, building managers, or contractors are handling AFSS compliance. Ultimately, the legal responsibility rests with the building owner.

Solution: Ensure contracts and leases are clear on responsibilities, but retain oversight yourself.

Councils are getting tougher. Random inspections are more common and councils expect absolute accuracy in AFSS submissions.

Solution: Engage a reputable provider (like Asset & Fire) who works with council expectations in mind, not just minimum standards.

Aside from fines and legal action, non-compliance can hit your bottom line in ways owners often overlook:

It’s easy to view the AFSS as another admin task. But think about it differently, it’s your annual health check for life safety systems. The systems you rely on to protect people when things go wrong.

As tragic headlines regularly remind us, fires don’t discriminate. They don’t wait for your paperwork to catch up. Compliance ensures systems are operational when lives depend on them.

Annual Fire Safety Statements shouldn’t be stressful, expensive, or last-minute. With the right approach and the right partner, compliance becomes part of your routine building management, not a source of panic.

At Essential Asset & Fire, we make it our business to ensure you’re protected, not just legally, but practically. Our goal? No nasty surprises, no last-minute panics, just reliable and proactive management of your fire safety obligations.

If you want peace of mind about your AFSS, we’re ready to help.

Important Disclaimer: This article is general in nature and does not constitute legal or building compliance advice. Always consult a licensed fire safety practitioner and review relevant legislation for your property classification.