Do I Need a Fire Risk Assessment for My Holiday Let?

Yes. If you charge guests to stay in your property — whether through Airbnb, Sykes, a direct booking website, or any other channel — you are legally required to carry out a fire risk assessment. This is not optional, and it is not a recommendation. It is a duty imposed by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO 2005), and it applies to every paying guest property in the UK regardless of size.

Many holiday let hosts believe fire safety law only applies to hotels, B&Bs, and large commercial premises. This is a misconception. The law specifically covers any premises “not occupied as a private dwelling” — and a holiday let is not a private dwelling when paying guests are staying in it.

Why the RRO 2005 Applies to Holiday Lets

The RRO 2005 excludes “domestic premises” — defined as a property occupied as a private dwelling. When you let your property to paying guests, those guests are not treating it as their private dwelling (they have a home elsewhere), and you are not occupying it as your home at that time. The domestic exemption does not apply.

HMSO guidance — “Making your small paying guest accommodation safe from fire” (updated January 2025) — confirms this unambiguously: the law “applies to you if you are charging someone to stay in your property as a guest and it is not being occupied as a private dwelling, even if it is just for one night.”

This means that even a single-night Airbnb booking triggers the legal duty. There is no minimum stay threshold, no minimum number of guests, and no minimum size of property that exempts you.

What Is the “Responsible Person”?

Under the RRO 2005, the “responsible person” is the person who has control of the premises in connection with carrying on a trade, business, or other undertaking. For most holiday lets this is the owner. Where a letting agent or property management company manages the property on your behalf, both you and the agent may share responsibility — but the owner cannot simply delegate and walk away.

The responsible person must carry out, or arrange for a competent person to carry out, a “suitable and sufficient” fire risk assessment of the premises. Where the assessment identifies five or more employees, findings must be recorded in writing — but for holiday lets with no employees, good practice (and the STL Registration Scheme requirements from April 2026) mean that a written record is expected in any case.

What Must a Holiday Let Fire Risk Assessment Cover?

A suitable and sufficient assessment for a holiday let must address the following:

• Ignition sources and fuel loads — including electrical installation, gas appliances, wood burners and open fires, BBQs, cooking facilities, and how guests interact with these.
• Means of escape — all escape routes must be clear and unobstructed, all final exits must open from inside without a key, and the assessment must account for the fact that guests are unfamiliar with the layout and may be asleep when a fire starts.
• Fire detection and warning — smoke alarms on every storey and in every guest bedroom, interlinked so that activation anywhere wakes guests throughout. Heat alarms in the kitchen. CO alarms in rooms with combustion appliances.
• Guest safety information — fire action notices in every bedroom and at each exit; a guest information pack including escape routes, assembly point, and the full property address and postcode for calling emergency services.
• Maintenance and records — alarms tested at every changeover, a fire safety log maintained, annual review of the assessment.

What Is the Penalty for Not Having One?

Non-compliance with the RRO 2005 is a criminal offence. The responsible person can face an unlimited fine and up to two years’ imprisonment for serious breaches. Fire and rescue authorities have powers of inspection and can issue enforcement notices, prohibition notices (which prevent the property being used for letting), and pursue prosecution.

From April 2026, England’s new short-term let registration scheme is expected to require hosts to self-certify compliance with fire safety law as a condition of registration. Hosts who cannot demonstrate a current fire risk assessment will not be able to register — and operating without registration will be a further offence.

Who Can Carry Out the Assessment?

The RRO 2005 requires the assessment to be carried out by a “competent person” — someone with sufficient training, experience, and knowledge to understand the risks involved. A professionally qualified fire risk assessor is not legally mandated for smaller premises, but the assessment must be genuinely suitable and sufficient. An inadequate assessment is no better than no assessment.

FRASafe guides holiday let hosts through a structured, legally-grounded assessment covering all areas required by HMSO guidance — generating a written report you can produce to a fire inspector, insurer, or the STL registration scheme. Assessments start at £45.

Summary

Every UK holiday let requires a fire risk assessment under the RRO 2005. The law applies from the first night you charge a guest — regardless of platform, property size, or how long they stay. The assessment must be written, suitable and sufficient, and reviewed at least annually. From April 2026, compliance is also expected as a condition of the new England STL registration scheme.