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

Usually, yes, in a licensed HMO. Most councils attach licence conditions requiring fire doors with self-closers on rooms that open onto the escape route, typically bedrooms and kitchens. There is no single national specification, so the exact requirement depends on your council and the layout of the building. Check your licence conditions, or ask the council before you fit anything.

How often should HMO fire alarms be tested?

By law, alarms must be working at the start of each tenancy, and the landlord must repair or replace a faulty alarm as soon as it is reported. Beyond that, licence conditions normally require regular routine tests with the results logged, plus periodic servicing of mains-wired systems by a competent engineer. A test log the council can read is your evidence.

Who is responsible for fire safety in an HMO, the landlord or the tenants?

The landlord or managing agent is the responsible person. They must keep the fire risk assessment current, maintain alarms, doors and escape routes, and hold the certificates. Tenants have a duty not to obstruct escape routes or damage fire safety equipment, but responsibility for the system sits with whoever manages the property.

Does a small HMO without a licence still need fire safety measures?

Yes. The Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (England) Regulations 2006 apply to HMOs whether licensed or not, so escape routes must be kept clear and alarms maintained. The Fire Safety Order 2005 still requires a fire risk assessment of the shared parts, and the smoke and carbon monoxide alarm rules apply to every rented home in England.

HMO

What fire safety does an HMO need?

Last updated 4 July 2026 · Reviewed by Nick Thorpe, founder

The short answer

An HMO needs a current fire risk assessment, smoke alarms on every storey, protected escape routes kept clear, and fire doors where the council's licence conditions require them. Larger HMOs usually need a mains-wired interlinked alarm system and sometimes emergency lighting. Gas is checked annually, electrics at least every five years, and requirements vary by council.

Fire safety is the part of HMO management that councils enforce hardest and the part with the most serious consequences when it slips. The good news is that the list is knowable, and most of it is maintenance. Here is the checklist we work to, and who signs what.

The HMO fire safety checklist

Item	What an HMO needs	How often
Fire risk assessment	A written assessment of the shared parts under the Fire Safety Order 2005	Kept current; reviewed after any works, incident or change of use
Smoke alarms	At least one working alarm on every storey with living space; licensed HMOs normally need a mains-wired interlinked system	Working at the start of each tenancy; repaired or replaced as soon as a fault is reported
Carbon monoxide alarms	In any room with a fixed combustion appliance, gas cookers excluded	Same as smoke alarms
Fire doors	Self-closing fire doors on rooms opening onto the escape route, where licence conditions require them	Checked at every inspection: closers work, no wedges, no damage
Escape routes	A safe route from every room to the final exit, kept free from obstruction	Ongoing; checked at every visit
Emergency lighting	Where the escape route is long, complex or dark, typically in larger licensed HMOs	Routine tests, results logged
Firefighting equipment	Where provided, kept in good working order; a fire blanket in a shared kitchen is a common licence condition	Serviced per the licence and manufacturer
Gas safety	Annual check by a Gas Safe registered engineer	Every 12 months
Electrical safety	An EICR from a qualified electrician	At least every 5 years

Do HMOs need fire doors?

In most licensed HMOs, yes. There is no single national rule that names a door specification for every HMO. Instead, councils attach fire safety conditions to HMO licences, and the standard condition is self-closing fire doors on rooms that open onto the escape route. In Kirklees, licensing applies to larger HMOs, meaning five or more occupants from two or more households, and the council sets the fire precautions for each property when it licenses it. Whatever the paperwork says, the practical rule is simpler: a wedged-open fire door is just a door. Keep closers working and wedges in the bin.

What alarms does an HMO need?

The legal minimum for any rented home in England is a smoke alarm on every storey with living accommodation, and a carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a fixed combustion appliance (gas cookers excluded). Alarms must work at the start of each tenancy, and the landlord must fix or replace a faulty one as soon as a tenant reports it.

For licensed HMOs, councils almost always go further and require a mains-wired, interlinked system installed to the relevant British Standard for fire detection in dwellings. The grade and coverage depend on the size and layout of the house, so get the specification from the council or a competent fire alarm engineer before you spend money, not after.

Escape routes and emergency lighting

Every occupant needs a safe route from their room to the final exit, and it must be kept clear. That duty comes from the Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (England) Regulations 2006, which apply to all HMOs, licensed or not. It covers the obvious (no bikes in the hallway, no storage on the stairs) and the less obvious, such as keeping the route maintained and usable.

Emergency lighting is not required in every HMO. It tends to be required where the escape route is long, complicated or has no borrowed light, which in practice means larger licensed HMOs. Your licence conditions or the council will say. Where it is fitted, test it routinely and log the results.

Who tests and certifies what?

Fire risk assessment: the responsible person, usually the landlord or managing agent. For larger or more complex HMOs, a competent fire risk assessor is money well spent.
Alarm system: installed and certified by a competent electrician or fire alarm engineer. Keep the certificates and a test log.
Gas: a Gas Safe registered engineer, every 12 months.
Electrics: a qualified electrician issues the EICR, at least every 5 years.
The council: inspects against licence conditions and can require works.

On cost, our HMO schedule prices a gas safety check at £75 plus VAT, with EICRs quoted per property. The full schedule is on our fees page, and there is more on the licensing side in our HMO licensing checklist for Huddersfield.

One caveat, and it matters

Fire safety requirements change, and they differ between councils and between buildings. Treat this page as a starting point, not the final word on your property. We confirm the current requirements with the council on every HMO we take on, and our HMO management service handles the certificates, tests and logs as standard. If you would rather hand the whole list to someone else, that is what we are for.

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