Wales
Ceredigion HMO fire safety requirements
Ceredigion publishes its own HMO fire safety standard, "Accommodation Standards for Houses in Multiple Occupancy (HMOs) Guidance Notes (Ceredigion County Council)" (Undated (approved 2012, file modified November 2019)).
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?
Accommodation Standards for Houses in Multiple Occupancy (HMOs) Guidance Notes (Ceredigion County Council)
Published Undated (approved 2012, file modified November 2019).
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 Ceredigion 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
- Not required
- Fire door on the kitchen
- Required
- Protected escape route
- Not 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
- Fire doors on bedrooms
- Required
- Fire door on the kitchen
- Required
- Protected escape route
- Required
- Heat detector in the kitchen
- Required
- Emergency lighting
- Recommended
- 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
- Recommended
- Fire blanket in the kitchen
- Required
- Fire extinguishers
- Required
| 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 D2, LD2 | 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 | Required | Required | Required |
| Protected escape route | Not required | Required | Required |
| Heat detector in the kitchen | Required | Required | Required |
| Emergency lighting | Not required | Recommended | Recommended |
| Fire blanket in the kitchen | Required | Required | Required |
| Fire extinguishers | Recommended | Recommended | Required |
- Grade D2 (mains alarms with a replaceable 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
“Alarm system - Minimum Grade D, LD2 alarm system to be installed. (Mains powered interlinked smoke alarms with battery backup to all bedrooms, dining rooms or lounges and hallways)”
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
“Will be required for properties of 4 or more storeys or with complex escape routes. ... All properties of 3 or more storeys to have emergency lighting installed.”
Fire extinguishers
Council's own standard
“there should be a multi-purpose AFFF 6 litre foam or 2kg dry powder extinguisher on each floor within the communal escape route. This is a requirement in houses split into flats or bedsits and is recommended in all other properties.”
Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will check it.
Common questions
Do I need a fire risk assessment for a Ceredigion HMO licence?
Can I do my own HMO fire risk assessment in Ceredigion?
Which fire safety standard does Ceredigion use for HMOs?
What fire alarm does a 3-storey shared house need in Ceredigion?
Check your Ceredigion HMO against the council's standard
Answer plain-English questions about your house and get a fire risk assessment report built on Ceredigion's rules. £45, no subscription.