Fire safety for HMOs and landlords
If you let an HMO, a converted building or flats with shared areas, you are responsible for fire safety in the parts you control and for the alarms and standards the law sets for each home. We give landlords and agents a BS 9792 fire risk assessment, clear advice on what the licence and the law require, and the works to meet it.
- BS 9792:2025Housing assessment standard
- LACORS guideThe councils' benchmark
- Wales & EnglandLicensing rules for both
- 30+ yearsFire and Rescue experience
Several sets of law apply at once
The Housing Act 2004 lets councils license HMOs and assess fire as a hazard under the HHSRS, requiring improvements where it falls short. The Fire Safety Order 2005 covers the common parts of HMOs and blocks of flats; as landlord or managing agent you are normally the Responsible Person and need a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment.
The LACORS guide "Housing – Fire Safety" is guidance, not law, but councils in both nations use it as their benchmark, and a departure needs to be justified by a risk assessment.
In England
Mandatory licensing covers HMOs with five or more people forming two or more households, whatever the number of storeys. The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015, as amended in 2022, set minimum alarms in every rented home.
In Wales
Mandatory licensing covers HMOs of three or more storeys with five or more people in two or more households. The Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 requires homes to be fit for human habitation, including interlinked mains smoke alarms, and private landlords must register with Rent Smart Wales.
Why HMOs need particular care
Several unrelated people sleep behind their own doors, cook in shared kitchens and rely on one staircase. A fire in one room can quickly fill the only way out.
One escape route
A single staircase that every occupant depends on to get out.
Shared kitchens
Cooking by several households, often opening straight onto the stairs.
Damaged fire doors
Wrong hardware, oversized gaps, or closers removed by tenants.
Cluttered routes
Bikes, bins and storage left on the stairs and landings.
Gaps around services
Unsealed holes in walls and ceilings around pipes and cables.
The wrong alarm
A system that does not match the size and layout of the property.
From assessment to licence-ready records
Assess
A BS 9792 assessment of the common parts, measured against LACORS and your licence conditions.
Fix
One quote for fire doors, alarms, emergency lighting, fire stopping and signage.
Maintain
Servicing, extinguishers where needed and periodic review, for one property or a portfolio.
Evidence
Every report and certificate in the portal, ready for a licence application or inspection.
Every address, every certificate, one view
We can put every property on one compliance contract, schedule the assessments, servicing and tests, and keep each address's records in the Vocus Fire Safety Portal.
- Fire risk assessments and action plans
- Alarm and emergency lighting certificates
- Fire door inspection records
- Next-due dates for every check
The detail, when you need it
HMO licensing and licence conditions
In England, councils can also run additional licensing for smaller HMOs, and selective licensing for other private rented homes in designated areas. In Wales, councils can run additional licensing schemes that bring smaller HMOs into licensing, so check with your council.
Licence conditions commonly cover fire safety directly: working smoke alarms, fire doors, a current fire risk assessment, testing records and emergency lighting where needed. Breaching a condition is an offence, so it pays to know exactly what yours say.
Rented homes: alarms and safety standards
England: a smoke alarm on every storey used as living accommodation, and a carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a fixed combustion appliance (except gas cookers). Alarms must be checked at the start of each tenancy and repaired or replaced when reported faulty. Where a building has two or more sets of domestic premises, the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 may add duties for the common parts, such as fire safety instructions and fire door information for residents.
Wales: since 1 December 2022, mains-powered, interlinked smoke alarms on every storey, a carbon monoxide alarm where there is a gas, oil or solid-fuel appliance, and electrical safety testing at least every five years. Landlords or agents who manage properties must be licensed by Rent Smart Wales.
Fire alarms to BS 5839-6
BS 5839-6 grades systems by their equipment (Grade) and by how much of the property they cover (Category). LACORS gives the usual Grade and Category for each type of HMO: small shared houses may need interlinked mains alarms, while larger HMOs typically need a system with a control panel and detection in each room. We check what you have against what the property needs, and can provide the right system and keep it serviced.
Fire doors and escape routes
In most HMOs, the doors to bedrooms and kitchens that open onto the staircase need to be fire doors, typically 30-minute doors with self-closing devices. Our fire door inspections identify each fault and we fix it; our article on fire door checks for landlords explains what to look for between inspections.
Escape routes must be kept clear, and gaps around pipes and cables need fire stopping. Our team carries out the remedial works.
Converting a property into an HMO
Converting a house into an HMO or flats usually needs building regulations approval, and planning permission may be needed too. In Wales, new HMOs and flats created by conversion may need sprinklers under the Domestic Fire Safety (Wales) Measure 2011. Getting advice before you start avoids costly changes later, and we can prepare the fire strategy for building control.
At a glance
- Who it's for
- HMO landlords, letting and managing agents, owners of converted buildings
- Key law
- Housing Act 2004 · Fire Safety Order 2005 · Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 · Smoke and CO Alarm (England) Regulations
- Standards
- BS 9792:2025 · BS 5839-6 · LACORS guide
- Experience
- Assessments led by a Managing Director with 30+ years in Fire and Rescue
- Price
- Fixed quote before we visit
Speak to the team
Questions about your building or your duties? Talk them through with us before you commit to anything.
0330 133 4591Fire service experience, one accountable contract.
30+ years in Fire and Rescue
Our Managing Director, Paul Chamberlain, spent more than three decades in Fire and Rescue, from operational incident command to strategic leadership. That is the lens every assessment is written through.
Wales and England, done right
Fire safety law differs either side of the Severn. Every report and recommendation is written for the rules that actually apply to your building.
One accountable contract
Assessment, remediation and ongoing maintenance under one contract, with one point of contact. No gaps between contractors for you to manage.
Every record in one place
Reports, certificates and next-due dates for every site in the Vocus Fire Safety Portal, ready to show an inspector, insurer or auditor.
HMO fire safety questions
Short answers to what landlords and agents ask us most. Can't see yours? Call us on 0330 133 4591.
Does my HMO need a fire risk assessment?
Yes. The Fire Safety Order applies to the common parts of HMOs in both Wales and England, so the landlord or managing agent must have a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment. Councils will usually ask for it when you apply for or renew a licence.
Does my HMO need a licence?
In England, mandatory licensing covers HMOs with five or more people forming two or more households, regardless of storeys. In Wales, it covers HMOs of three or more storeys with five or more people in two or more households. In both nations, councils can run additional licensing schemes for smaller HMOs, so always check with your council.
What type of fire alarm does an HMO need?
It depends on the size and layout. The LACORS guide sets out the usual BS 5839-6 Grade and Category for each type of HMO, ranging from interlinked mains smoke alarms in smaller shared houses to a panel-based system in larger ones. Your fire risk assessment and licence conditions confirm what your property needs.
Do all doors in an HMO need to be fire doors?
Not necessarily all of them, but doors from bedrooms and kitchens onto the escape route usually do, normally 30-minute fire doors with self-closers. The exact requirement depends on the size and layout, so it is set out in the fire risk assessment.
What are my alarm duties as a landlord in Wales?
Under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 fitness requirements, every storey needs a mains-powered, interlinked smoke alarm, and a carbon monoxide alarm is needed where there is a gas, oil or solid-fuel appliance. You also need an electrical safety test at least every five years.
What are my alarm duties as a landlord in England?
The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations require a smoke alarm on every storey used as living accommodation and a carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a fixed combustion appliance, except gas cookers. Alarms must be checked at the start of each tenancy and repaired when reported. HMO licence conditions often require more than this minimum.
Can you look after a portfolio of properties?
Yes. We can put every property on one compliance contract, schedule the assessments, servicing and tests, and keep the reports and certificates for each address in the Vocus Fire Safety Portal.
Get your HMO fire safety in order
Tell us about the property, the number of occupants and whether it is licensed, and we will confirm what it needs and a fixed price.