If you are a short term insurance broker or underwriter in South Africa, you have almost certainly seen the letters SANS 10400-T appear on a risk survey or loss prevention report. But what does it actually mean, why does it matter for commercial property underwriting, and what should you be checking on behalf of your clients?
This guide explains SANS 10400-T in plain language, with specific focus on what it means for commercial property risk assessments in the South African insurance context.
What is SANS 10400-T?
SANS 10400-T is Part T of the South African National Standard 10400, which covers the Application of the National Building Regulations. Part T deals specifically with fire protection in buildings.
It sets out the minimum requirements for fire detection, fire suppression, means of escape, and fire resistance of structural elements across different occupancy classifications. These requirements are statutory. They are not guidelines or best practice recommendations. They are legal requirements under the National Building Regulations.
For insurers and underwriters, this distinction matters enormously. A building that does not comply with SANS 10400-T is not just a poorly managed property. It is a property operating outside the requirements of South African law.
Why SANS 10400-T matters for commercial property underwriting
When a commercial property claim is submitted following a fire event, one of the first questions an assessor will ask is whether the building had the required fire detection and suppression systems in place. If it did not, and if those systems were required under SANS 10400-T for that occupancy class, the insurer faces a difficult position.
In practice, non compliance with SANS 10400-T can affect the following:
- The validity of the policy at the time of the claim
- The underwriter's ability to recover costs from a third party
- The broker's potential exposure to a professional indemnity claim from their client
- The insured's ability to reinstate cover after a loss
This is why a credible commercial property risk assessment must reference SANS 10400-T directly, by occupancy class, rather than simply noting whether a fire alarm is present or absent.
Occupancy classifications under SANS 10400-A
SANS 10400-T does not apply a single standard to all buildings. Fire protection requirements vary significantly by occupancy class. The occupancy classifications are defined in SANS 10400-A (General Principles and Requirements) and cover the following groups relevant to commercial property insurance.
Group A: Entertainment and assembly
- A1: Entertainment and public assembly. Occupancy where persons gather to eat, drink, dance or participate in other recreation.
- A2: Theatrical and indoor sport. Occupancy where persons gather for the viewing of theatrical, operatic, cinematographical or sport performances.
- A3: Places of instruction. Schools, colleges and similar tuition environments.
- A4: Worship. Occupancy where persons assemble for the purpose of worshipping.
- A5: Outdoor sport. Occupancy where persons view outdoor sports events.
Group B: Commercial service
- B1: High risk commercial service. Non industrial processes liable to cause combustion with extreme rapidity, poisonous fumes or explosions.
- B2: Moderate risk commercial service. Non industrial processes with moderate combustion risk.
- B3: Low risk commercial service. Non industrial processes not falling into the high or moderate risk category.
Group C: Exhibition and museums
- C1: Exhibition hall. Occupancy where goods are displayed primarily for viewing by the public.
- C2: Museum. Museums, art galleries and libraries.
Group D: Industrial
- D1: High risk industrial. Industrial processes liable to cause combustion with extreme rapidity, poisonous fumes or explosions.
- D2: Moderate risk industrial. Industrial processes with moderate combustion risk.
- D3: Low risk industrial. Industrial processes not falling into the high or moderate risk category.
- D4: Plant room. Usually unattended mechanical or electrical services necessary for the running of a building.
Group E: Institutional
- E1: Place of detention. Occupancy where people are detained for punitive or corrective reasons or because of their mental condition.
- E2: Hospital. Occupancy where people are cared for or treated because of physical or mental disabilities and are generally bedridden.
- E3: Other institutional residential. Occupancy where groups of people who are not fully fit or are restricted in their movements reside and are cared for.
- E4: Health care. A place of long term or transient living where persons receive personal care services or medical treatment.
Group F: Retail
- F1: Large shop. Occupancy where merchandise is displayed and offered for sale and the floor area exceeds 250m².
- F2: Small shop. Occupancy where merchandise is displayed and offered for sale and the floor area does not exceed 250m².
- F3: Wholesalers' store. Occupancy where goods are displayed and stored and only a limited selected group of persons is present at any one time.
Group G: Offices
- G1: Offices. Occupancy comprising offices, banks, consulting rooms and other similar usage.
Group H: Residential and hospitality
- H1: Hotel. Occupancy where persons rent furnished rooms, not being dwelling units.
- H2: Dormitory. Occupancy where groups of people are accommodated in one room.
- H3: Domestic residence. Two or more dwelling units on a single site.
- H4: Dwelling house. A dwelling unit on its own site, including a garage and other domestic outbuildings.
- H5: Hospitality. Occupancy where unrelated persons rent furnished rooms on a transient basis, with sleeping accommodation for not more than 16 persons within a dwelling unit.
Group J: Storage and parking
- J1: High risk storage. Occupancy where stored material is liable to cause combustion with extreme rapidity, poisonous fumes or explosions.
- J2: Moderate risk storage. Occupancy where stored material has a moderate combustion risk.
- J3: Low risk storage. Occupancy where stored material does not fall into the high or moderate risk category.
- J4: Parking garage. Occupancy used for storing or parking of more than 10 motor vehicles.
Each occupancy class carries different fire detection requirements, different sprinkler thresholds, different means of escape specifications, and different structural fire resistance ratings. A J2 storage facility has materially different requirements from a G1 office block, even if they are the same physical size.
What a SANS 10400-T compliant risk assessment should confirm
A credible risk assessment for a commercial property should address all of the following, referenced against the correct occupancy class.
- Whether a fire detection system is required under SANS 10400-T for that occupancy
- If required, whether one is installed and what type it is, in accordance with SANS 10139
- Whether automatic sprinkler suppression is required under SANS 10287 for that occupancy and floor area
- Whether fire hose reels are installed in accordance with SANS 543
- Whether LP Gas installations, if present, hold a valid certificate of compliance under SANS 10087-1
- Whether stacking heights in storage areas comply with SANS 10400-T Table 4 requirements for that occupancy
A risk assessment that simply notes "fire extinguishers present" without addressing occupancy specific detection and suppression requirements is not SANS 10400-T aligned. It is a checklist, not a compliance assessment.
The gap in the current market
The traditional commercial property risk survey model in South Africa relies on a physical site visit by a trained surveyor. These surveys typically cost between R3,500 and R8,000 and take 3 to 5 days to produce a report. For brokers managing large portfolios of SME clients, this creates a significant bottleneck.
Many SME commercial properties are placed on cover without any formal risk assessment at all, because the cost and time of a physical survey is disproportionate to the premium on a small policy. This means brokers are placing cover blind, and insurers are underwriting risks they cannot see.
The result is that SANS 10400-T non compliance often goes undetected until a claim is submitted.
What RiskScope does differently
RiskScope is a South African insurtech platform that delivers SANS 10400-T and SANS 10139-aligned commercial property risk assessment reports digitally, in under 10 minutes. Every report produced by RiskScope references the correct occupancy class and checks fire detection, suppression, LP Gas, and certification requirements against the applicable statutory standards.
Reports include a scored risk band across five sections, site photo evidence captured through a guided camera workflow, and a legal methodology disclaimer suitable for insurer submission.
For brokers, this means every commercial property client can have a documented, SANS aligned risk assessment on file, regardless of premium size, at a fraction of the cost of a traditional survey.
A free risk summary is available at www.riskscope.co.za. No sign up required to start.