Fire safety is one of the most critical and heavily regulated areas of landlord compliance. Obligations range from the straightforward (smoke alarms in every rental) to the complex (full fire risk assessments and fire door requirements in HMOs). A fire safety breach contributing to injury or death can result in criminal prosecution, unlimited fines, and civil liability.
Smoke alarms, all private rented properties in England
The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022 require all private rented properties in England to have:
- A working smoke alarm on every storey used as living accommodation
- A working CO alarm in every room used as living accommodation containing a fixed combustion appliance (excluding gas cookers)
- Alarms must be in working order at the start of each new tenancy
- Civil penalty for non-compliance: up to £5,000 per breach
Carbon monoxide alarms
- Required from 1 October 2022 in any room with a fixed combustion appliance: boiler, gas fire, oil boiler, solid fuel fire, log burner
- Gas cookers are expressly excluded
- The alarm must be in working order at the start of every tenancy, test and record the result
- Scotland: CO alarms required near every fixed combustion appliance under separate Scottish regulations
Fire risk assessments, HMOs
All HMOs with communal areas are covered by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. The landlord/manager must carry out a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment of communal areas, keep it up to date, and implement identified measures, fire extinguishers, fire doors, emergency lighting, signage.
Fire doors, licensed HMOs
- FD30 fire doors (30-minute fire resistance) to all bedrooms and kitchen doors opening onto an escape route
- Self-closing devices on all fire doors, propped-open fire doors are a licence breach
- Intumescent strips and cold smoke seals required
- Inspect and maintain fire doors regularly, damage or missing seals must be rectified promptly
Furniture and furnishings fire safety
Any upholstered furniture supplied by the landlord as part of the tenancy must comply with the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire Safety) Regulations 1988. Look for the permanent label. Furniture manufactured before 1950 is exempt. Furniture manufactured between 1950 and the current regulations should be checked carefully, when in doubt, do not supply it.