In short: every HMO needs fire precautions suited to its size, layout and risk. The law sets minimums such as smoke alarms on every storey, while detection grades, fire doors and emergency lighting usually come from the fire risk assessment, council standards and guidance such as LACORS or the NIFRS guide.
What is law in each nation?
- England: smoke alarms on every storey with living accommodation and CO alarms by fixed combustion appliances (not gas cookers), since October 2022. The Fire Safety Order covers common parts. Fire is an HHSRS hazard.
- Wales: mains-powered, interlinked smoke alarms on every storey and CO alarms where there is a gas, oil or solid-fuel appliance.
- Scotland: interlinked smoke alarms in the living room and circulation spaces and a heat alarm in the kitchen; licensed HMOs must meet the council’s higher standard.
- Northern Ireland: licence conditions, with the NIFRS HMO Fire Safety Guide (July 2026) as the usual reference.
What comes from guidance?
- Alarm grades (Grade D or Grade A) and coverage (LD1, LD2, LD3).
- Which doors need to be FD30 or FD30S fire doors, and self-closers.
- Emergency lighting, usually in larger or more complex HMOs.
The LACORS guide (2008) is not law, but many councils in England base their standards on it. Council fire guides vary: Luton’s, for example, expects a Grade A system in three-storey bedsit HMOs.
What does a typical upgrade include?
- Interlinked detection, with heat detection in kitchens.
- Fire doors with closers and smoke seals onto the escape route.
- Fire-resisting linings to the stair, and fire stopping.
- Thumb-turn locks on exit doors, and emergency lighting where needed.
Questions
Is a Grade A fire alarm a legal requirement?
No single grade is set in law. Larger HMOs commonly need a Grade A panel system under council guidance and the fire risk assessment.
Do all doors need to be fire doors?
Usually the doors onto the escape route. The risk assessment decides which.
Who writes the fire risk assessment?
A competent assessor you appoint. We carry out the works it recommends.
Checked 31 October 2026. General information for landlords planning works, not legal advice. Check the council’s pages for the exact address.