Fire risk assessments for HMOs & landlords

If you let a shared house, a bedsit HMO or a block of flats, the law expects a written fire risk assessment that is kept up to date — and it holds you, personally, responsible for it.

Why HMOs need a fire risk assessment

Two pieces of law overlap on a rented HMO. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applies to the common parts and treats you as the responsible person. On top of that, the Housing Act 2004 and your council's HMO licence set their own fire-safety conditions — and a current fire risk assessment is almost always one of them.

Shared and sleeping accommodation is higher-risk by its nature: people asleep, unfamiliar with each other's habits, sharing escape routes. That's why HMOs are assessed to a higher standard than a single-family let.

What we assess

• Escape routes — protected stairways, travel distances, and whether people can get out safely if a fire starts anywhere in the building.
• Fire doors and self-closers — the right doors, fitted and working, doing the job of holding a fire back.
• Detection and alarm — whether the system fitted (its grade and category, to BS 5839-6) suits the layout and the risk.
• Emergency lighting and signage — so an escape route works in the dark and under smoke.
• Compartmentation — the walls, floors and ceilings that are supposed to contain a fire long enough to escape.
• Housekeeping and ignition sources — cooking, electrics, storage and the everyday things that start fires.

What you get

A clear written report you can hand to your licensing officer or managing agent, and a prioritised action plan that tells you what to fix, in what order, and what can reasonably wait. No jargon, no scare tactics — just what the law needs and what keeps people safe.

We assess HMOs and rented property throughout Dorset. Book an assessment and we'll confirm a visit, usually within days.