If you own a house in multiple occupation (HMO) in the UK, by law you must have a fire risk assessment carried out at your property and this assessment should be reviewed regularly.
Most people reading this article will know what an HMO is, but for clarification — a standard HMO is a house in which at least three tenants live and in which each tenant shares a toilet, bathroom or kitchen facilities with others.
The same definition applies to a large HMO, with the only difference being the number of tenants (five as opposed to three).
Our article outlines why HMOs in the UK require a fire risk assessment, the penalties for non-compliance with fire safety regulations, and how you can get a fire risk assessment conducted at your HMO if you haven’t recently.
In this article
The importance of fire safety in HMOs
What are the legal fire safety requirements for HMOs?
Why do I need a fire risk assessment for my HMO?
What does an HMO fire risk assessment cover?
How to get a fire risk assessment for your HMO
The importance of fire safety in HMOs
It’s no surprise that deaths and injuries from fires in HMOs are proportionately higher than in single-family homes.
With an increased number of tenants comes a heightened risk of an accident caused by fire — and the stats paint a harrowing picture of this grim reality.
HMO residents are at least eight times more likely to die or suffer serious injury from fire. If the HMO is large with more than three storeys, the risk is even higher.
Furthermore, around 200 people die and 6,500 are injured as a result of HMO fires each year in the UK.
However you analyse the data, it shows how catastrophic not following the essential fire safety protocols could be.
Anything you can do to stop your HMO from becoming another stark statistic should be a top priority.
The best first course of action is to identify potential fire hazards in your property.
Common fire hazards in HMOs
There are more fire hazards in an HMO than you may have accounted for.
Here are the most common examples:
- Poorly maintained electrical systems
- Overloaded electrical systems (i.e., excessive use of multi-plug adaptors and extension leads)
- Exposed wires
- Faulty appliances
- Inadequate fire detection and alarm systems
- Insufficient emergency lighting
- Fire extinguishers that aren’t in working condition
- Obstructed escape routes
- Escape routes that aren’t well-signposted
- Fire doors that don’t close properly, can’t withstand the spread of fire for at least 30 minutes, and haven’t been installed to manufacturer guidelines by a third party accredited contractor.
- Improper storage of flammable materials (i.e., polystyrene tiles, heavy flock wallpaper, curtains, bedding, and upholstered furniture) in escape routes or rooms which are otherwise unused. Even HMOs with good fire precautions may have their fire safety compromised by temporary careless storage of these products.
These hazards need to be documented, assessed for their level of risk, and minimised or eliminated as soon as possible.
And although you can, in theory, carry out the fire risk assessment yourself, you don’t have to.
If you’re not 100% clear on how to identify, minimise or eliminate every one of the above hazards, you can get professional fire risk assessors to do the assessment for you (as we’ll explain further down).
What are the legal requirements for fire safety in HMOs?
As you’d expect, HMOs are subject to a series of rigorous fire safety regulations.
Here’s a rundown of them.
The Housing Act 2004
This legislation requires HMOs to be licensed by the local housing authority.
It used to only apply to properties that are three or more storeys high and occupied by five or more people. But following The Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation (Prescribed Description) (England) Order 2018, mandatory HMO licensing also applies to HMO properties which are less than three storeys high.
Under the terms of this act, a local authority cannot issue an HMO licence unless it is satisfied that appropriate fire precaution equipment and facilities are provided.
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO)
This legislation emphasises the importance of conducting thorough risk assessments to identify fire risks and putting appropriate safety measures in place.
You must ensure all occupants are informed about fire safety procedures, including escape routes and how to use fire-fighting equipment.
Where necessary, you should provide training to occupants so they know what to do in the event of a fire.
The Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation Regulations 2006
You can read the full legislation here but, in summary, you must ensure that the means of escape from fire in your HMO are:
- Kept free from obstruction
- Maintained in good order and repair
You must also ensure any fire fighting equipment and fire alarms are maintained in good working order.
Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015
Under the terms of this legislation, your HMO must include smoke alarms on every floor and carbon monoxide alarms in rooms containing solid fuel appliances (for example, a coal fire or wood-burning stove).
The Fire Safety (England) Regulation 2022
This regulation, effective from 23rd January 2023, has incorporated two major changes to The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
We’ve summarised them below:
Regulation 9: You must provide residents with instructions on how to report a fire, the evacuation strategy for your building, and anything else that tells the residents what they must do once a fire has occurred.
Regulation 10: You must tell residents that fire doors should be kept shut when not in use. You must also instruct residents that neither they nor their guests should tamper with self-closing devices and that they should immediately report to you any fault or damage.
What are the penalties for non-compliance with these regulations?
If your HMO doesn’t comply with the legal fire safety requirements, you could receive a hefty fine, prison sentence, or a legal ban from managing or letting properties.
Why do I need a fire risk assessment for my HMO?
A fire risk assessment for HMOs will help you:
- Identify and address every potential fire hazard we’ve cited in this article.
- Keep your residents safe and well-informed should a fire occur.
- Help you stay legally compliant and avoid serious penalties.
Without one, you’re leaving a lot of things to chance, the most significant of which is, of course, human life.
You could subsequently find yourself in the same position as these landlords, who failed in their responsibilities to their tenants and received huge fines in the process.
Or you could arrange for a fire risk assessment to be carried out at your HMO and continue running your business with total peace of mind.
What does an HMO fire risk assessment cover?
We’ve covered this question across various parts of the article, but if you’re reading this on the go and need a snapshot summary, we’ve included one below.
A fire risk assessment for HMOs will:
- Identify fire hazards within your property
- Assign a rating to each hazard
- Assess the relative level of risk to your residents
- Make recommendations as to the necessary safety measures (i.e., ensuring the presence of working smoke detectors and fire alarms, ensuring fire doors are at least FD30-rated, maintaining fire extinguishers)
Once the findings have been recorded, you’ll need to prepare an evacuation strategy and regularly review your risk assessment.
But as we’ve already made clear, you don’t need to do all of this alone. We’re here to help you with the above.
Specialist fire risk assessments from North West Fire Solutions
You cannot afford to miss a single detail when you’re carrying out a fire risk assessment for your HMO.
But you could easily miss something important. After all, you’re a property owner, not a qualified fire safety consultant.
That’s why you need a professional to look after your risk assessment. This way, no stone is left unturned.
Our specialist fire risk assessors all possess a Level 4 Fire Safety Diploma or above and have many years of experience in providing fire risk assessments for HMOs, which are carried out in accordance with government guidelines.
To arrange for us to visit your HMO, reach out to us on 0151 665 0124 or email info@nwfiresolutions.co.uk.