Do HMOs need a fire risk assessment?

Yes. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applies to the common parts of multi-occupied residential buildings, so the landlord or managing agent of an HMO is usually the Responsible Person and must carry out, record and review a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment.

Does the HMO fire risk assessment have to be written down?

Yes. Since 1 October 2023, section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022 requires every Responsible Person to record the fire risk assessment in full, including all findings, and to record who carried it out if someone helped.

How much does an HMO fire risk assessment cost?

Through our matching network, small HMOs are typically £180–£350 and larger HMOs or other medium and sleeping-risk buildings are typically £350–£750. Storeys, number of bedrooms and whether rooms are entered affect the price. Adding a legionella risk assessment (typically £150–£350 for an HMO) on the same visit is common.

What methodology should an HMO fire risk assessment use?

Ask for BS 9792:2025 alignment — the British Standard for housing fire risk assessment that replaced the withdrawn PAS 79-2. Non-domestic premises continue under PAS 79-1.

Can I do my own HMO fire risk assessment?

The law allows the Responsible Person to do it if they have the knowledge to make it suitable and sufficient. For sleeping-risk HMOs most landlords appoint a competent assessor, and they remain legally responsible for acting on the findings either way.

What do assessors and councils look for in an HMO?

A protected escape route, fire-resisting doors where needed, compartmentation, a suitable interlinked fire detection and alarm system, emergency lighting where required, clear fire procedures, and evidence that alarms and escape routes are maintained — tailored to the building and to your council’s licensing conditions.

Who is the Responsible Person for an HMO fire risk assessment?

Usually the person who controls the building: the landlord, or the managing agent if they manage it under contract. Where more than one person has control, each is a Responsible Person for their part and must cooperate. Appointing an assessor does not hand over the duty.

Is the LACORS guide a legal requirement for HMOs?

No. LACORS Housing – Fire Safety (2008) is guidance, not law. Many councils use it as their benchmark when they assess fire hazards under the Housing Act 2004 (HHSRS) and set licence conditions, so it strongly shapes what your HMO is expected to have.

Should I bundle legionella with the HMO fire risk assessment?

Often yes. HMO landlords must also assess and control legionella risk under health and safety law and ACoP L8. One coordinated enquiry can cover both visits.

HMO Fire Risk Assessment: Law, Cost & Quotes (2026)

Q: How often should an HMO fire risk assessment be reviewed?

There is no fixed date in law. Article 9 of the Fire Safety Order requires a regular review and a review whenever the assessment may no longer be valid — for example after works, a change in the number of occupiers, a fire or near miss, or new licence conditions. High-turnover HMOs often review at least annually.

Do you need a fire risk assessment for an HMO? Yes. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 covers the common parts of a house in multiple occupation, so the landlord or managing agent is usually the Responsible Person and must record the assessment in full and keep it under review. Councils also judge fire under the Housing Act 2004 (HHSRS), often against the LACORS Housing – Fire Safety guide. Typical fees: £180–£350 small HMO; £350–£750 larger or sleeping-risk. Fire risk assessments · Get a quote.

Need an HMO fire risk assessment? Get an HMO FRA quote · Fire risk assessment service

Fire risk assessment for HMO landlords: at a glance

Question	Short answer
Which law?	Fire Safety Order 2005 (common parts), Housing Act 2004 (licensing and HHSRS) and the Management of HMOs Regulations 2006.
Who is responsible?	Usually the landlord or managing agent — the Responsible Person for the common parts.
Must it be written?	Yes, in full, since 1 October 2023.
Method	BS 9792:2025 (replaced PAS 79-2).
Review	Regularly and after any significant change. No fixed expiry date.
Typical cost	£180–£350 small HMO; £350–£750 larger or sleeping-risk buildings.

HMO fire risk assessment cost

HMO type	Typical fee
Small HMO (for example a 3–5 bed shared house on two floors)	£180–£350
Larger HMO, three or more storeys, or higher sleeping risk	£350–£750

The fee depends on storeys, number of lettings, whether rooms are entered and the condition of existing records. Adding a legionella risk assessment to the same visit is common. Get an HMO fire risk assessment quote.

Who is the Responsible Person in an HMO?

Under article 3 of the Fire Safety Order, the Responsible Person is the person in control of the premises. For most HMOs that is the landlord; where a managing agent runs the building under contract, the agent may share or hold the duty. If several people have control (for example a freeholder and a head-leaseholder), each is responsible for the parts they control and must cooperate. Appointing an assessor does not transfer the duty, so you still have to act on the findings.

How often should an HMO fire risk assessment be reviewed?

There is no fixed expiry. Article 9 requires a review regularly and whenever the assessment may no longer be valid: after building works, a change in the number of occupiers, a fire or near miss, or new licence conditions. Because tenants change often, many HMO landlords review at least once a year and record each review. See how often a fire risk assessment must be reviewed.

🔥 Not sure if your HMO is up to standard? Use our free Fire Safety Scorecard to spot obvious gaps before you apply for or renew a licence.

Why HMOs are treated differently

In a single-family let, the household manages its own fire safety. In an HMO, several unrelated households share a kitchen, hallway and stairs, cook at different times and keep their own appliances in their rooms. Nobody is in charge of the shared space, so the law puts that responsibility on the landlord or manager.

GOV.UK confirms that the common areas of multi-occupied residential buildings count as non-domestic premises under the Fire Safety Order. Your fire risk assessment must therefore look at the shared hallways, stairs and kitchens, and at the escape route from each bedroom door to the final exit.

Alongside the Order, the Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (England) Regulations 2006, regulation 4 requires the manager to keep all means of escape from fire free from obstruction and in good repair, and to keep fire-fighting equipment and fire alarms in good working order.

What an HMO fire risk assessor looks at

A suitable and sufficient FRA is proportionate to the building, but for a typical shared house the assessor will usually examine:

Escape routes. Is there a protected route from every bedroom to a final exit, free of storage, bikes and ignition sources?
Fire-resisting doors. Do the kitchen and bedroom doors onto the escape route need to be fire-resisting with self-closers, and are existing fire doors fitted with intumescent strips and smoke seals that actually close?
Compartmentation. Are there gaps in walls and ceilings — often from cabling or plumbing — that would let fire and smoke spread between rooms or floors?
Detection and alarm. Is there an interlinked fire detection and alarm system of a grade and coverage suited to the size and layout of the HMO?
Emergency lighting. Would tenants be able to see the route out if the power failed, especially on internal staircases without windows?
Management. Are alarms tested, are fire procedures displayed, and is there a record of maintenance?

Many councils still use the LACORS Housing – Fire Safety guidance (2008) as their benchmark for the physical standard in existing HMOs, so ask your assessor to explain any recommendation against it.

Need a competent HMO FRA? Request a quote — or see fire risk assessments.

HMO licensing and local council conditions

GOV.UK explains that a licence is mandatory in England and Wales for a large HMO — rented to 5 or more people from more than one household who share facilities — and that smaller HMOs may still need a licence depending on the area. Many councils run additional or selective licensing schemes, and licence conditions commonly cover fire safety.

The Fire Safety Order is national, but your council administers licensing and enforces housing standards under the Housing Act 2004, including fire as a hazard under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System. That is why one council may ask for more than another for the same type of house. Check the conditions attached to your licence and give your assessor a copy.

Examples: Birmingham has licensed smaller HMOs (3 or 4 occupants from 2 or more households) since 5 June 2023. For the full list of certificates a licence application needs, see which certificates an HMO licence needs.

What can go wrong

Enforcement. The fire and rescue authority can issue enforcement or prohibition notices under the Fire Safety Order; the council can take action under the Housing Act.
Prosecution. Fire Safety Order offences can lead to an unlimited fine and, in the most serious cases, imprisonment.
Licensing consequences. Running a licensable HMO without a licence or breaching licence conditions can lead to fines, rent repayment orders and, in England, banning orders in serious cases.

Can I do it myself?

The law does not require a particular qualification, but the assessment must be suitable and sufficient. For an HMO with sleeping occupants on several floors, most landlords appoint a competent assessor — and you remain legally responsible for acting on the findings. If you appoint someone, record their name and organisation in the assessment. A professional HMO assessment typically sits in the £180–£350 band for a small HMO; see how much a fire risk assessment costs. For housing method, ask for BS 9792:2025 alignment rather than withdrawn PAS 79-2.

Legionella and the rest of the HMO pack

HMO landlords must also assess and control legionella risk under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, COSHH and ACoP L8. Shared showers, a stored hot water cylinder and summer voids in student HMOs all raise the risk. Book a legionella risk assessment (typically £150–£350 for an HMO) on the same visit as the FRA. Read whether legionella risk assessment is a legal requirement for landlords.

Electrical safety reports and gas safety certificates are separate legal duties; your licence pack guide lists them.

How to get your HMO fire risk assessment done

Check your licence conditions. Note any fire safety conditions your council has set.
Request a quote. Tell us the postcode, number of storeys and bedrooms, and whether you want legionella on the same visit.
Assessor visit. A vetted independent assessor from our network inspects the building and writes the assessment.
Close out the actions. Use competent contractors of your choice for any works. We do not sell remedial work.
Keep the record. File the full written assessment, keep maintenance records and set a review date.

Official sources

Checked 28 October 2026:

GOV.UK — Fire safety: who’s responsible (common areas of multi-occupied residential buildings)
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, article 9
Fire Safety Act 2021
Home Office — Fire safety responsibilities under section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022
GOV.UK — House in multiple occupation licence
Housing Act 2004 (Part 1, HHSRS; Part 2, HMO licensing)
Management of HMOs (England) Regulations 2006, regulation 4
BSI — BS 9792:2025

Ready to book your HMO fire risk assessment?

Next step: Get a quote for a fire risk assessment (and optionally a legionella risk assessment) through Safety Certificates UK’s matching network — we introduce vetted independent assessors and do not assess in-house.

Guidance only — not legal advice. Requirements depend on the premises and enforcing authority. Arrange a formal on-site assessment where needed.

HMO Fire Risk Assessment: The Landlord Guide