Ensuring Fire Safety: A Landlord’s Responsibility

Fire safety duties for landlords in England

Landlords must make sure their rental properties are safe and free from serious health and safety hazards. Fire safety responsibilities may include:

• Providing working smoke alarms
• Providing carbon monoxide alarms where required
• Ensuring tenants have access to escape routes
• Keeping electrical installations safe
• Ensuring supplied appliances are safe
• Making sure furniture and furnishings supplied with the property are fire safe
• Providing fire alarms and extinguishers where required, such as in some HMOs
• Carrying out or arranging Fire Risk Assessments where required
• Acting on fire safety hazards or defects without unnecessary delay

The exact duties depend on the property. A landlord with a single-family rental property will usually have different responsibilities from a landlord or managing agent responsible for communal areas, shared accommodation or multi-occupied residential buildings.

Smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms

Landlords in England must ensure that at least one smoke alarm is installed on each storey of a rental property where there is a room used as living accommodation.

Carbon monoxide alarms are also required in any room used as living accommodation that contains a fixed combustion appliance, excluding gas cookers. This can include appliances such as boilers, fires, heaters and wood-burning stoves.

Landlords must also make sure smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms are repaired or replaced once they are informed that an alarm is faulty and the fault is confirmed.

Although the regulations set minimum requirements, landlords should always consider whether additional protection is appropriate for the property. Larger properties, shared houses, HMOs, vulnerable occupants, unusual layouts and longer escape routes may require more robust fire detection and warning systems.

Fire detection in HMOs and shared accommodation

Houses in Multiple Occupation often carry a higher level of fire risk because unrelated people share the same property, facilities and escape routes. Occupants may have different routines, different levels of fire safety awareness and different responsibilities within the property.

Fire safety measures in HMOs may include:

• Interlinked smoke and heat detection
• Fire doors
• Protected escape routes
• Emergency lighting
• Fire extinguishers where appropriate
• Fire blankets in suitable locations
• Fire safety signage
• Clear tenant instructions
• Regular testing and inspection records

The correct system will depend on the size, layout, use and risk profile of the property. Landlords should avoid assuming that a basic domestic smoke alarm arrangement is enough for an HMO or shared property.

Fire Risk Assessments for landlords

A Fire Risk Assessment is a structured review of the fire hazards, people at risk and safety measures within a property.

Whether a landlord needs a Fire Risk Assessment depends on the type of property and the parts of the premises they control.

For blocks of flats, HMOs, converted buildings, maisonettes and properties with communal areas, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 is especially important. It applies to common parts such as shared corridors, stairwells, entrance halls, communal rooms, plant rooms, bin stores and shared escape routes.

A Fire Risk Assessment will usually consider:

• Sources of ignition, fuel and oxygen
• People who may be at risk
• Escape routes and final exits
• Fire detection and alarm systems
• Emergency lighting
• Fire doors and compartmentation
• Fire extinguishers and firefighting equipment where appropriate
• Signage and fire safety information
• Management procedures
• Inspection and maintenance records
• Actions needed to reduce risk

For a standard single-let house or flat occupied by one household, the position is different. The same Fire Safety Order requirement will not usually apply inside the domestic parts of the home in the same way it applies to communal areas. However, landlords still have important duties to keep the property safe, provide required alarms, maintain safe electrical systems and appliances, and act on hazards.

Escape routes and fire doors

Tenants must be able to escape safely in the event of a fire. Landlords and managing agents should check that escape routes are suitable, accessible and kept clear.

In HMOs, blocks of flats and buildings with communal areas, fire doors may form an essential part of the fire safety strategy. Fire doors help slow the spread of fire and smoke, protecting escape routes and giving occupants more time to leave the building or follow the building’s emergency plan.

Fire doors should be correctly specified, fitted and maintained. Common issues include damaged door leaves, missing or damaged intumescent strips, faulty self-closers, gaps around the door, unsuitable glazing or residents propping doors open.

Where fire doors are required, they should be inspected regularly and any defects should be addressed promptly.

Electrical safety and appliance risks

Electrical faults are a common cause of fires in homes. Landlords must make sure electrical installations are safe and that any appliances they supply are also safe.

This may include:

• Electrical Installation Condition Reports
• Routine visual checks
• PAT testing where portable appliances are supplied
• Prompt repair or removal of faulty appliances
• Avoiding overloaded sockets and unsafe extension leads
• Clear tenant guidance on safe use of electrical equipment

For furnished lets, HMOs, serviced accommodation and managed portfolios, appliance safety records can help demonstrate that the landlord or agent is taking a responsible approach to fire prevention.

Fire safety records landlords should keep

Good record keeping is increasingly important for landlords, letting agents and managing agents. If there is a tenant complaint, local authority inspection, insurance query or fire incident, clear records can help show that fire safety has been managed responsibly.

Useful records may include:

• Fire Risk Assessments where required
• Smoke alarm and carbon monoxide alarm records
• Fire alarm servicing records
• Emergency lighting test records
• Fire door inspection records
• Fire extinguisher servicing records
• Electrical safety certificates
• PAT testing records where appliances are supplied
• Records of remedial works
• Tenant fire safety information
• HMO licensing documentation where applicable

Fire safety should not be treated as a one-off task at the start of a tenancy. It should be reviewed regularly and whenever there are changes to the property, layout, occupancy, use or fire safety arrangements.

Consequences of poor fire safety management

Failure to manage fire safety properly can have serious consequences. Depending on the circumstances, landlords may face:

• Local authority enforcement action
• Remedial notices
• Financial penalties
• Licensing problems
• Insurance issues
• Civil claims
• Prosecution
• Reputational damage
• In the most serious cases, imprisonment

More importantly, poor fire safety management can place tenants, neighbours and emergency responders at risk.

A proactive approach is always better than reacting after an incident or enforcement visit.

How Fire Guard Services can help

Fire Guard Services supports landlords, letting agents, managing agents and property managers with practical fire safety advice and professional fire protection services.

Our team includes former Fire Service professionals, giving us first-hand insight into fire risks, prevention and emergency response.

We can help with:

• Fire Risk Assessments
• Fire alarm systems
• Smoke detector installation and servicing
• Emergency lighting
• Fire extinguishers
• Fire safety signage
• Fire door support
• Fire safety training
• PAT testing
• Ongoing compliance support

We work with landlords and property professionals across London, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire.

If you are responsible for a rental property, HMO, block of flats or managed residential portfolio, Fire Guard Services can help you understand your fire safety duties, identify risks and put practical measures in place to protect your tenants.