Compliance & enforcement
HMO licence fire safety conditions — what the council wants to see
A council HMO licence application or renewal has attached fire safety conditions.
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Short answer
Licensing conditions vary by authority, but they consistently come back to four things: a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment, detection appropriate to the building under LACORS guidance, sound fire doors to risk rooms and escape routes, and maintained emergency lighting where needed.
The four recurring conditions
Whatever wording your authority uses, the substance is normally the same. A current written fire risk assessment for the property. An automatic detection system of the correct grade and category for the layout. Fire doors to bedrooms, kitchens and the escape route, self-closing and in sound condition. Emergency escape lighting where the route would be unusable in darkness.
Getting the detection right first time
The commonest reason for a second visit from a licensing officer is detection that does not match the building. The specification is driven by the number of storeys, whether the property is shared or bedsit-style, and the escape strategy. Fitting a mixed set of battery smoke alarms almost never satisfies a licensing condition on a multi-storey HMO.
Sequence the work sensibly
Assessment first, then detection, then doors, then lighting and records. Doing the assessment first stops you buying equipment that the assessment then says is the wrong specification — a genuinely common and avoidable expense for landlords.
Multi-property landlords
Where several properties are licensed on similar cycles, we schedule assessments and servicing together so renewals do not arrive piecemeal, and so one set of documentation covers the portfolio consistently.
Questions we get asked about this
Do all HMOs need a fire risk assessment?
The common parts of an HMO fall under the Fire Safety Order, so a fire risk assessment is expected, and licensing authorities routinely ask for one.
What is LACORS?
Guidance on fire safety provision in existing residential accommodation, widely used by councils as the benchmark for detection and protection in HMOs.
Can you do the assessment and the works?
Yes — assessment, detection, doors and extinguishers can all be delivered by us, or you can take the report and use your own contractors.
Forward the licence conditions and we will price exactly what they ask for — nothing padded on top.
Other common fire safety problems
Fire alarms
Fire alarm keeps beeping — what the sound is telling you
Fire alarms
Repeated false alarms — finding the cause instead of living with it
Fire alarms
Amber fault light on the fire alarm panel — how to read it
Fire doors
Fire door gaps that are too big — tolerances and remedies
Need a Fire Risk Assessment?
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