London
Ealing HMO fire safety requirements
Ealing publishes its own HMO fire safety standard, "LB Ealing HMO Standards" (April 2025).
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.
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 Ealing 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
“Fire alarm system in one or two storey HMOs ... The fire alarm system must 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). ... Fire alarm system in three or more storey HMOs ... 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 ... Flats in multiple occupation occupying a single storey do not require fire doors within the flat”
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 ... 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”
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.
Common questions
Do I need a fire risk assessment for a Ealing HMO licence?
Can I do my own HMO fire risk assessment in Ealing?
Which fire safety standard does Ealing use for HMOs?
What fire alarm does a 3-storey shared house need in Ealing?
Check your Ealing HMO against the council's standard
Answer plain-English questions about your house and get a fire risk assessment report built on Ealing's rules. £45, no subscription.