South East
Basingstoke and Deane HMO fire safety requirements
Basingstoke and Deane publishes its own HMO fire safety standard, "Guidance on Standards for Deciding the Suitability for Occupation of a House in Multiple Occupation by a Particular Maximum of Households or Persons" (2024 Edition).
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?
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?
Guidance on Standards for Deciding the Suitability for Occupation of a House in Multiple Occupation by a Particular Maximum of Households or Persons
Published 2024 Edition.
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 Basingstoke and Deane 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 D2, 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 D2, 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 D2, LD2, plus a linked smoke alarm in each letting | Grade D2, 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 D2 (mains alarms with a replaceable 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
“For small properties with shared kitchen facilities the following requirements apply ... A grade D, LD2 fire detection system with interlinked smoke alarms located in ... Each letting ... Throughout the escape route ... Any communal rooms (such as living rooms) ... And all rooms with cooking facilities to have an interlinked heat alarm”
Fire doors
Council's own standard
“A 30 minute protected escape route is required, including 30 minute fire resistant construction and self-closing FD30S doors fitted to ... Each letting”
Escape route
Council's own standard
“A 30 minute protected escape route is required, including 30 minute fire resistant 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 lighting only required if the escape route is complex and/or it does not have effective borrowed light”
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.”
Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will check it.
Not in Basingstoke and Deane?
Common questions
Do I need a fire risk assessment for a Basingstoke and Deane HMO licence?
Can I do my own HMO fire risk assessment in Basingstoke and Deane?
Which fire safety standard does Basingstoke and Deane use for HMOs?
What fire alarm does a 3-storey shared house need in Basingstoke and Deane?
Check your Basingstoke and Deane HMO against the council's standard
Answer plain-English questions about your house and get a fire risk assessment report built on Basingstoke and Deane's rules. £45, no subscription.