BRE (and especially my good friend Martin Shipp) have been doing this 'Fire chasing' work on behalf of the Government for years, & the results will be a surprise to few on here, I'm sure. Quite apart from any safety issues, the things that annoys me is that clients simply aren't getting what they pay for! The recent horror stories re: schools and hospitals having to be re-built illustrate the problem.
We're getting asked (more and more) to act on behalf of clients & go on site to verify and assure that what's been installed meets its required duty. This always reveals issues, and I've lost count of the times the response has been "...but I've been doing it this way for years, and it's never been a problem before.... It's not a cheap service, though, & it's really only the major projects where the client is also the owner/occupier that tend to see it as an investment.
Having said all the above, things are getting better & the various third-party installer / inspection schemes and other initiatives by the likes of ASFP are having a positive effect. I still wouldn't live in a timber-framed block of flats though!
