East of England
Dacorum HMO fire safety requirements
Dacorum publishes its own HMO fire safety standard, "Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO): free advice and guidance for landlords, managing agents and tenants (fire safety leaflet)" (2018). It is based on the Hertfordshire standard, which 1 other council uses 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?
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?
Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO): free advice and guidance for landlords, managing agents and tenants (fire safety leaflet)
Published 2018.
Read the council's document →When did we last check?
29 September 2026
We re-check every council's documents each month and update this page when they change.
What Dacorum 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
- Not required
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
- Not required
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
- Not 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, 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 | Not required | Not required | Not required |
- 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
Shared regional standard
“PLAN 1: A system of mains powered ... detectors to form a Grade D LD2 system ... route. lnterlinked smoke alarms with ... integral battery back-up in each bedroom ... lnterlinked heat alarms with integral ... battery back-up in each bedroom ... containing cooking facilities ... Additional non-interlinked smoke alarms with ... integral battery back-up in each bedroom ... detectors to form a Grade A LD2 system in ... PLAN 2: Typical two storey ... PLAN 3: Typical three storey”
Fire doors
Shared regional standard
“A fire door of at least ... 30 minute fire resistance, with cold smoke ... seals, intumescent strips and self-closers, ... must be installed in each doorway leading ... onto the escape route, except bathrooms”
Escape route
Shared regional standard
“least 30 minute fire resistance should be ... provided to the route as indicated by red on”
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
Shared regional standard
“Although not a requirement, where your risk assessment indicates that fire extinguishers are required, they shall be multipurpose extinguishers”
Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will check it.
Not in Dacorum?
Councils using the same standard as Dacorum
Common questions
Do I need a fire risk assessment for a Dacorum HMO licence?
Can I do my own HMO fire risk assessment in Dacorum?
Which fire safety standard does Dacorum use for HMOs?
What fire alarm does a 3-storey shared house need in Dacorum?
Check your Dacorum HMO against the council's standard
Answer plain-English questions about your house and get a fire risk assessment report built on Dacorum's rules. £45, no subscription.