If you let property, you have fire safety duties – and they're different in each part of the UK. Houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) have extra rules. Here's an overview, with links to the official guidance.
Alarms in Rented Homes
Every landlord needs the right smoke, heat and carbon monoxide alarms. The rules vary by nation – see Smoke, Heat and Carbon Monoxide Alarms: Which Goes Where? for the details and links.
England
- HMO licence – needed where 5 or more people from more than one household share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet. Councils can license smaller HMOs too.
- Shared areas – the Fire Safety Order applies to the common parts of HMOs and blocks of flats, so they need a fire risk assessment.
- Blocks of flats – the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 add duties such as giving residents fire safety information and checking fire doors.
- Guidance – the GOV.UK HMO licence page and the LACORS (Local Authorities Coordinators of Regulatory Services) "Housing – Fire Safety" guide, which councils still use.
Wales
- The Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 requires mains-powered, interlinked smoke alarms on every storey and CO alarms where needed – or the home is treated as unfit to live in.
- HMOs need a licence, and the Fire Safety Order applies to common parts.
- Guidance: GOV.WALES fitness for human habitation.
Scotland
- An HMO is 3 or more people from 3 or more families sharing facilities, and needs a licence from the council.
- Fire safety in HMOs falls under the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005, so a fire risk assessment is needed.
- Since 2022, every home in Scotland must have interlinked fire alarms.
- Guidance: gov.scot fire safety for private rented properties.
Northern Ireland
- Every HMO (3 or more people from more than 2 households) needs a licence, and applicants must provide a suitable fire risk assessment.
- Private landlords must fit interlinked smoke and heat alarms and CO alarms where needed.
- Guidance: Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) HMO Fire Safety Guide and Department for Communities alarm guidance.
Extinguishers and Fire Blankets
Official guidance for HMOs and flats commonly recommends the following – see the guidance for your nation: England and Wales (LACORS Housing – Fire Safety guide), Scotland (practical fire safety guidance for premises with sleeping accommodation) and Northern Ireland (NIFRS HMO Fire Safety Guide).
- A fire blanket in every kitchen, including in individual units – see Fire Blankets: Where and How to Use Them.
- Extinguishers in the shared areas, such as one on each floor. Guidance generally doesn't recommend extinguishers inside individual units unless trained staff live on site.
Your fire risk assessment, and any licence conditions, decide exactly what's needed.
Worth remembering… your fire risk assessment is what decides what your premises need. This guide is general advice, not a substitute for it.
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