HMO Fire Risk Assessment London

Why does an HMO need a fire risk assessment?

Because the Fire Safety Order 2005 applies to the common parts of every HMO, and because several unrelated households sleeping under one roof raises the fire risk compared with a single-family home. Each tenant brings their own cooking, heaters, chargers and habits, and nobody controls the whole house the way a family would.

Two other sets of rules sit alongside the Order:

• The Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (England) Regulations 2006 require the manager to keep fire alarms and escape routes maintained and in good order.
• HMO licensing. Mandatory licensing applies where five or more people form two or more households, and many London boroughs run additional or selective licensing that catches smaller shared houses. Licence conditions often set specific alarm, fire door and certificate requirements, so check your borough’s conditions.

What is LACORS guidance and how do London councils use it?

LACORS ‘Housing – Fire Safety’ (2008) is the national guidance London councils use as their benchmark when they judge whether an HMO’s fire precautions are adequate. It is not law in itself, but licensing and enforcement officers refer to it, so an assessment that ignores it is unlikely to satisfy them.

The guidance is risk-based. It sets out worked examples for common layouts, such as a two-storey shared house or a three-storey bedsit house, and describes the alarm system, fire doors and escape route protection it would normally expect for each. Taller houses, bedsits with cooking in the rooms and layouts with inner rooms all need more protection.

Our assessors identify which LACORS example your house is closest to, compare what is installed with what the guidance expects, and explain any gaps. Where your house differs from the example but is still safe, the report sets out why, which is exactly the reasoning a licensing officer will want to see.

What fire alarm system does an HMO need?

Most London HMOs need an interlinked, mains-powered alarm system designed to BS 5839-6, so that a fire anywhere sets off every alarm in the house. The grade and category depend on storeys, layout, how the house is let and what your licence specifies.

Kitchens should have heat detectors rather than smoke detectors, otherwise tenants learn to cover or disable them after every burnt meal. Many London licences also require an annual alarm certificate, which our fire alarm certificate service provides.

Do bedroom doors in an HMO need to be fire doors?

Usually, yes. In London HMOs of three or more storeys, and in bedsit-style lets, LACORS expects bedroom and kitchen doors opening onto the escape route to be 30-minute fire doors with self-closers. In a smaller two-storey shared house, sound, well-fitting solid doors can sometimes be accepted where the alarm system is enhanced. Your licence conditions have the final word.

The door problems we find most often in London HMOs are:

• Self-closers removed or disconnected by tenants who find them noisy.
• Bedroom doors with locks that need a key to open from the inside. Escape doors must open from inside without a key, so we look for thumb-turn locks.
• Intumescent strips painted over, or doors trimmed to clear new carpet.
• Kitchen doors propped open in warm weather.

Where doors are doubtful, a fire door inspection gives you a door-by-door record of what passes and what needs work.

What makes a safe escape route in a shared house?

Every tenant should be able to reach the front door along a route that is protected from fire, kept clear and does not pass through a room where a fire is likely to start.

• Open-plan kitchens. In many London conversions the wall between hallway and kitchen has been removed. If the only way out passes the cooker, the route is compromised.
• Inner rooms. A bedroom reached only through a kitchen or living room is a serious concern and is usually acceptable only with additional measures.
• Loft conversions. A third storey changes the protection expected for the whole house, and escape windows are not a substitute for a protected stair at that height.
• Storage. Bikes, bins, suitcases and mattresses left behind by departing tenants are among our most common findings.
• Lighting. Where the route has no natural light, emergency lighting may be needed.

What does the assessor check in an HMO?

We inspect the whole house, not just the hallway, because in an HMO the risk often starts inside a tenant’s room.

What happens after an HMO fire risk assessment?

You receive the full written assessment naming the assessor and a prioritised action plan you can give to your contractor and show your licensing officer. If a licence application is in progress, send the assessment with it; it shows the council you understand the risks in your property.

Deal with high-priority items first, such as keyed bedroom locks, missing closers or a faulty alarm, and keep dated records of the work. Review the assessment whenever tenants change in a way that affects risk, after any building work and at least every 12 months. For more on how HMO and flat assessments differ, read our guide to fire risk assessments for flats and HMOs.

Prices are £149 inc. VAT for a 1–2 bed HMO or rental home, £199 for 3–4 bed and £249 for 5–6 bed; get a quote for larger houses. Fire risk assessments are carried out by NEBOSH-qualified fire risk assessors, and we hold £5 million public liability insurance.