South East
Arun HMO fire safety requirements
Arun publishes its own HMO fire safety standard, "Standards for houses in multiple occupation: Fire precautionary facilities and fire safety (Arun District Council web page)" (Not dated). It is based on the Sussex standard, which 5 other councils use too.
Is a fire risk assessment needed for the licence?
Yes, with your licence application
The council lists a written fire risk assessment as one of the documents you send with your HMO licence application.
Who can carry it out?
A "competent person"
The council says a "competent person" must carry it out. In fire safety law that means someone with enough training, experience or knowledge to assess the house properly. A careful landlord can meet that.
Which standard applies?
Standards for houses in multiple occupation: Fire precautionary facilities and fire safety (Arun District Council web page)
Published Not dated.
Read the council's document →When did we last check?
12 October 2026
We re-check every council's documents each month and update this page when they change.
What Arun expects in 3 typical HMOs
Worked out from the council's own fire safety rules for three common kinds of HMO. Your house may need more or less depending on its layout, which is what a fire risk assessment is for.
2-storey shared house, 5 tenants
- Fire alarm system
- Grade D1, LD3
- Fire doors on bedrooms
- Not required
- Fire door on the kitchen
- Not required
- Protected escape route
- Not required
- Heat detector in the kitchen
- Required
- Emergency lighting
- Not required
- Fire blanket in the kitchen
- Required
- Fire extinguishers
- Not advised
3-storey shared house, 6 tenants
- Fire alarm system
- Grade D1, LD3
- Fire doors on bedrooms
- Required
- Fire door on the kitchen
- Required
- Protected escape route
- Required
- Heat detector in the kitchen
- Required
- Emergency lighting
- Required
- Fire blanket in the kitchen
- Required
- Fire extinguishers
- Not advised
3-storey bedsits with cooking in rooms, 6 tenants
- Fire alarm system
- Grade A, LD2, plus a linked heat detector and a standalone smoke alarm in each letting
- Fire doors on bedrooms
- Required
- Fire door on the kitchen
- Required
- Protected escape route
- Required
- Heat detector in the kitchen
- Required
- Emergency lighting
- Required
- Fire blanket in the kitchen
- Required
- Fire extinguishers
- Not advised
| Requirement | 2-storey shared house, 5 tenants | 3-storey shared house, 6 tenants | 3-storey bedsits with cooking in rooms, 6 tenants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fire alarm system | Grade D1, LD3 | Grade D1, LD3 | Grade A, LD2, plus a linked heat detector and a standalone smoke alarm in each letting |
| Fire doors on bedrooms | Not required | Required | Required |
| Fire door on the kitchen | Not required | Required | Required |
| Protected escape route | Not required | Required | Required |
| Heat detector in the kitchen | Required | Required | Required |
| Emergency lighting | Not required | Required | Required |
| Fire blanket in the kitchen | Required | Required | Required |
| Fire extinguishers | Not advised | Not advised | Not advised |
- Grade D1 (mains alarms with a sealed backup battery)
- Grade A (a panel system with call points)
- LD3 (escape route only)
- LD2 (escape route plus rooms where fires are likely to start)
In the council's own words
The wording these requirements come from, quoted from the published documents.
Fire alarms
Council's own standard
“Required in smaller properties ... This system has one or more interlinked, mains-powered smoke and/or heat alarms each with a tamper-proof integral battery standby supply”
Fire doors
LACORS national guide
“30-minute protected route note 8, is required, including 30-minute fire-resisting construction and FD30 doors to all risk rooms (without smoke seals ... 30-minute fire-resisting construction and FD30S doors to all risk rooms. Travel distance must not be excessive”
Escape route
LACORS national guide
“No requirement for full 30-minute protected route note 7, but the escape route should have sound, traditional construction and should not pass through risk rooms ... 30-minute protected route note 8, is required, including 30-minute fire-resisting construction”
Kitchen heat detector
LACORS national guide
“additional interlinked heat alarm with integral battery back-up located in the kitchen”
Emergency lighting
Council's own standard
“Emergency escape lighting is required in all converted domestic buildings with three or more storeys, and in some circumstances, emergency escape lighting may be required if the escape route is complex and/or there is no effective borrowed light in buildings containing fewer than three storeys. In any circumstance, it is recommended that emergency escape lighting is provided in any building where there would be little or no light to clearly see the escape route”
Fire extinguishers
Shared regional standard
“The LACORS guide recommends the provision of fire extinguishers on all floors, however, local authorities do not normally require them. This is due to the need for training, for regular maintenance and problems with extinguishers being maliciously set off or played with.”
Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will check it.
Not in Arun?
Councils using the same standard as Arun
Common questions
Do I need a fire risk assessment for a Arun HMO licence?
Can I do my own HMO fire risk assessment in Arun?
Which fire safety standard does Arun use for HMOs?
What fire alarm does a 3-storey shared house need in Arun?
Check your Arun HMO against the council's standard
Answer plain-English questions about your house and get a fire risk assessment report built on Arun's rules. £45, no subscription.