Houses in Multiple Occupation fire safety guidance

Ensure that the automatic fire detection and emergency lighting systems are wired into the landlord's electrical circuit and not through any pay or key-operated systems. 

If you are unsure about anything in this document, you should contact the Private Sector Housing Division for further advice and guidance.

Protected escape routes

A 30 minute protected escape route is required, therefore:

• Walls, ceilings and floors within the staircase enclosure or hallways that form part of the protected route to be 30 minute fire resistant.
• 30 minute fire resistance is required between each flat. However on risk assessment there may be no requirement for additional fire-resisting separation between flats providing walls and ceilings are of sound traditional construction and additional compensatory detection is fitted.
• 30 minute fire resistant doors and frames required (FD30s) to all rooms opening onto the staircase enclosure or hallways that form part of the protected route. Doors to be provided with surface mounted self closing devices, intumescent strips and smoke seals. No requirement for fire doors within flats, but sound, Well-constructed and close fitting conventional doors are required. Travel distance must not be excessive.
• Where locks or catches are fitted to the doors of each unit of accommodation or to the final exit doors they must be fitted with locks or catches which are openable by the occupiers from the inside without the use of a removable key (i.e. thumb turn).
• Stairs to be underdrawn to provide 30 minute fire resistance
• Under-stairs cupboards and cupboards located on the escape route to have 30 minute fire resistant walls, ceilings and lining, 30 minute fire resistant doors and frames (FD30) including intumescent strips. The doors to be fitted with an effective lock and kept locked shut when not in use. Provide and fix to the outside face of the door a suitable notice at eye level stating "THIS DOOR TO BE KEPT LOCKED SHUT WHEN NOT IN USE". (In accordance with the requirements of BS 5499: Part 1).
• If detection is provided within the under-stairs cupboard or to cupboards located upon the escape route then a (FD30s) 30 minute fire resistant door including intumescent strips and smoke seals) will be required. Alternatively the cupboard can be permanently sealed and taken out of use.
• Where walls and ceilings are required to achieve 30 minutes fire resistance, the presence of holes or gaps around any service pipes or wires that pass through will mean the wall or ceiling fails to meet this requirement.

Fire detection and alarm system

Grade D, LD2 system (see appendix B)

• suitably located call points and control panel;
• interlinked mains wired smoke detectors located in the protected escape route for the building at each floor level;
• interlinked mains wired heat detectors in each flat, located in the room/lobby of the flat that opens onto the protected route for the building;
• additional interlinked mains wired smoke alarm with integral battery back-up located in any cellar.

Grade D, LD3 system (see appendix B)

• non-interlinked smoke alarm with integral battery back-up in each flat, located in the room/lobby of the flat that opens onto the protected route of the building.

Note: where the fire risk assessment identifies higher than normal risk, the BS 5839: part 6, LD2 interpretation of "rooms or areas that present a high fire risk to occupants" may include living rooms, bedrooms and kitchens within the flats, thereby providing automatic detection in these rooms in addition to the common parts and internal entrance hall / lobby within flats. Where this is the case, this additional detection would be an additional grade D system within the flat (i.e. a mixed system overall) so as to avoid whole-house false alarms.

Lighting of protected escape routes

Conventional artificial lighting is required. Emergency escape lighting required only if the route is long or complex, or where there is no effective borrowed light. An example of effective borrowed light would be street lighting that illuminates the staircase.

Fire-fighting equipment

• Fire blanket to be provided in each room with cooking facilities (recommended good practice).
• Simple multi-purpose fire extinguisher in the hallways where fire risk assessment shows a requirement. (Where extinguishers are provided they must be regularly checked and training given to all residents for their use).

Fire safety signs

Final exit sign and signage to be provided along the escape route if the escape route is long or complex.

Surface finishes and floor coverings

In the early stages of a fire, the safety of a building's occupants can be affected by the properties of surface linings and the finishes of walls, ceilings and soffits. Floor coverings throughout the protected route (i.e. stairways, hallways, landings and lobbies) of all categories of HMO should conform to low radius of fire spread (up to 35mm) when tested in accordance with the latest edition of BS 4790 or the European equivalent.

Management and maintenance of fire safety systems

Read about management and maintenance of fire safety systems.