South East
Buckinghamshire HMO fire safety requirements
Buckinghamshire publishes its own HMO fire safety standard, "Standards for Houses in Multiple Occupation (Buckinghamshire Council)" (April 2020).
Is a fire risk assessment needed for the licence?
Expected, but not sent in
The council's guidance talks about fire risk assessments, but it does not ask you to send one with your application. Fire safety law still says you need one.
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?
Standards for Houses in Multiple Occupation (Buckinghamshire Council)
Published April 2020.
Read the council's document →When did we last check?
15 October 2026
We re-check every council's documents each month and update this page when they change.
What Buckinghamshire 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, LD3
- 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, LD1, 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, LD1, 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, LD3 | Grade A, LD1, plus a linked smoke alarm in each letting | Grade A, LD1, 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)
- LD3 (escape route only)
- LD1 (alarms in all rooms and on the escape route)
In the council's own words
The wording these requirements come from, quoted from the published documents.
Fire alarms
Council's own standard
“Fire warning systems – 3+ STOREY PREMISES An electrically operated fire alarm system should be provided. In most cases the system should comply with British Standard 5839: Part 6 Grade A, Type LD1.”
Fire doors
Council's own standard
“Doors to rooms which open on to the shared exit route (other than bathrooms or W.C.s with no fire risk) should be provided with 30 minute fire resisting doors.”
Escape route
Council's own standard
“The walls and partitions to all habitable rooms should be able to resist fire for at least 30 minutes to provide 30 minute fire resistant ‘protected route’ of exit from all lettings.”
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.”
Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will check it.
Not in Buckinghamshire?
Common questions
Do I need a fire risk assessment for a Buckinghamshire HMO licence?
Can I do my own HMO fire risk assessment in Buckinghamshire?
Which fire safety standard does Buckinghamshire use for HMOs?
What fire alarm does a 3-storey shared house need in Buckinghamshire?
Check your Buckinghamshire HMO against the council's standard
Answer plain-English questions about your house and get a fire risk assessment report built on Buckinghamshire's rules. £45, no subscription.