London
Barking and Dagenham HMO fire safety requirements
Barking and Dagenham publishes its own HMO fire safety standard, "HMO Standards (London Borough of Barking and Dagenham)" (January 2023).
Is a fire risk assessment needed for the licence?
Yes, as a licence condition
You need a written fire risk assessment as a condition of the licence, and the council can ask to see it at any time.
Who can carry it out?
No rule on who writes it
The council does not say who must carry out the fire risk assessment, so a landlord can do it themselves, as long as it is done properly.
Which standard applies?
HMO Standards (London Borough of Barking and Dagenham)
Published January 2023.
Read the council's document →When did we last check?
14 October 2026
We re-check every council's documents each month and update this page when they change.
What Barking and Dagenham 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, LD2, plus a linked 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
- Not required
- Fire blanket in the kitchen
- Required
- Fire extinguishers
- Recommended
3-storey shared house, 6 tenants
- Fire alarm system
- Grade A, LD2, plus a linked 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
- Not required
- Fire blanket in the kitchen
- Required
- Fire extinguishers
- Recommended
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
- Not required
- Fire blanket in the kitchen
- Required
- Fire extinguishers
- Recommended
| 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, LD2, plus a linked smoke alarm in each letting | Grade A, LD2, plus a linked smoke alarm in each letting | Grade A, LD2, plus a linked heat detector and a standalone smoke alarm in each letting |
| Fire doors on bedrooms | Required | Required | Required |
| Fire door on the kitchen | Required | Required | Required |
| Protected escape route | Required | Required | Required |
| Heat detector in the kitchen | Required | Required | Required |
| Emergency lighting | Not required | Not required | Not required |
| Fire blanket in the kitchen | Required | Required | Required |
| Fire extinguishers | Recommended | Recommended | Recommended |
- Grade D1 (mains alarms with a sealed backup battery)
- Grade A (a panel system with call points)
- 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
“Provide a Fire Alarm System to include smoke detectors in every bedroom, throughout the escape route and in communal living rooms ... The system must comply with the current British Standard 5839 part 6: Grade DI, LD2 (or equivalent) ... interlinked with a control panel containing battery back-up. The system must comply with the current British Standard 5839 part 6: Grade A LD2 (or equivalent)”
Fire doors
Council's own standard
“Two or more storey HMOs require self-closing fire doors that provide 30 minute fire and smoke protection (FD30S) on all bedrooms, kitchens and living rooms”
Escape route
Council's own standard
“All HMOs shall be provided with an adequate protected means of escape from fire, together with other fire precautions”
Kitchen heat detector
LACORS national guide
“additional interlinked heat alarm with integral battery back-up located in the kitchen”
Emergency lighting
LACORS national guide
“Emergency escape lighting required only if the route is long or complex or where there is no effective borrowed light ... Shared house HMO of five or six storeys (shared cooking facilities) Conventional lighting and emergency escape lighting”
Fire extinguishers
LACORS national guide
“a simple multi-purpose extinguisher is recommended on each floor in the common parts of HMOs and buildings containing flats.”
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Not in Barking and Dagenham?
Common questions
Do I need a fire risk assessment for a Barking and Dagenham HMO licence?
Can I do my own HMO fire risk assessment in Barking and Dagenham?
Which fire safety standard does Barking and Dagenham use for HMOs?
What fire alarm does a 3-storey shared house need in Barking and Dagenham?
Check your Barking and Dagenham HMO against the council's standard
Answer plain-English questions about your house and get a fire risk assessment report built on Barking and Dagenham's rules. £45, no subscription.