HMO FIRE SAFETY · GUIDE
What fire safety does Bristol council expect in a licensed HMO?
The alarm grades, fire doors, emergency lighting and blankets in the council’s own standards, and where a fire risk assessment fits.
What fire safety does Bristol council expect in a licensed HMO?
Bristol City Council publishes a document called fire safety standards for licensable houses in multiple occupation. It sets the alarm grade by the number of storeys and people sharing, asks for 30-minute fire doors on kitchens with self-closers and combined smoke and intumescent seals, and says when emergency lighting, fire blankets and extinguishers are needed. The copy we read carries no date or version number, so check it with the council before you buy or fit anything: private.housing@bristol.gov.uk.
Source: Bristol City Council, fire safety standards for licensable houses in multiple occupation (HMOs), read 11 November 2026.
What fire alarm does a Bristol HMO need?
The standards use BS 5839-6:2019. The grade and category depend on the number of storeys and how many people share. All detectors are interlinked and mains-powered with tamper-proof battery backup. Smoke detectors go in the hall and landing at each level, and heat detectors in kitchens and bedsits with cooking.
| Storeys | People sharing | Shared house | Bed/living rooms | Bedsits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 3 | Up to 6 | D1 LD2 | D1 LD1 | D1 LD1 |
| 1 to 3 | 7 or more | D1 LD1 | D1 LD1 | D1 LD1 |
| 4 | Up to 6 | D1 LD1 | D1 LD1 | D1 LD1 |
| 4 | 7 or more | D1 LD1 | D1 LD1 | Grade A LD1 |
Properties of five or more storeys, or with any floor over 200m², are not covered by the tables. The council asks you to contact it.
Which doors need to be fire doors?
Kitchens generally need a 30-minute fire door. For a one or two storey shared house of up to six people, the council treats a 20-minute kitchen door as appropriate, with bespoke, upgraded or 30-minute alternatives. Fire doors should meet BS EN 1634-1 and include self-closing devices. Kitchen and bedsit doors need a combined smoke and intumescent seal, though an existing door with such seals can be accepted where the room has an interlinked detector. In houses of three or more storeys with seven or more people, 30-minute fire doors go to every room except bathrooms. Other doors must be sound, well made and close fitting. The council does not accept flimsy, hollow-infill doors or glazing that is not fire resisting. For fitting and inspection of doors, see fire door inspections.
What else do the standards cover?
Walls and partitions on an escape route should be 30-minute fire-resisting construction. Basements and lower ground floors need 30-minute separation from the rest of the house, including a 30-minute fire door at the top or bottom of the stairs. Escape routes must be kept clear. Storage cupboards in protected routes should hold no combustibles unless they are 30-minute fire-resisting with an interlinked smoke detector. Key, card or coin meters must not be on the fire alarm power supply. Security locks need a thumb-turn or must open without a key, except in a room with an escape window.
Does an HMO need emergency lighting, a fire blanket and extinguishers?
Emergency lighting is required where the escape route has no borrowed light, or is long or complex, and should meet BS 5266-1:2016. Fire blankets are required in all shared kitchens and bedsits. Extinguishers are required only where staff work or sleep at the property, and those staff must be trained or qualified to use them.
Can a fire risk assessment replace the tables?
Yes, in one way. The standards allow a fire risk assessment by a competent person to be submitted for the council’s approval as an alternative to the tables, and it must include a fire door to the kitchen. That is separate from your duty under the Fire Safety Order to assess the shared parts, which applies whether or not the house is licensed. The council’s application page does not list an assessment as a required document. For how the assessment covers an HMO, see HMO fire safety, and for the licence fees see what an HMO licence costs in Bristol.
Frequently asked questions
What alarm grade does a two-storey Bristol shared house need?
For up to six people sharing, the council’s table asks for a Grade D1 LD2 system. For seven or more it asks for LD1.
Does every bedroom door have to be a fire door?
In smaller shared houses the standards ask for a 30-minute kitchen door and say other doors must be sound and close fitting. In houses of three or more storeys with seven or more people they ask for 30-minute fire doors to all rooms except bathrooms.
Do I need extinguishers in my HMO?
Under the council’s standards only where staff work or sleep at the property. Fire blankets are required in all shared kitchens and bedsits.
Is this the same as the standards in Bath?
No. Bath and North East Somerset Council publishes its own standards. See the Bath page.
Is the council’s document up to date?
The copy we read carries no date or version number. Ask the council on private.housing@bristol.gov.uk before you buy or fit anything.
Does a fire risk assessment replace the licence conditions?
No. The assessment route is an alternative to the council’s tables, subject to its approval. The licence conditions still apply.
ENQUIRY
Tell us about your HMO.
HMOs and shared houses across Bristol and Bath: share a few details and we’ll get back to you about an assessment.
Or call 0117 463 7863.
Or email hello@fire-risk-assessment-bristol.co.uk.
BRISTOL & BATH