East of England
Fenland HMO fire safety requirements
Fenland publishes its own HMO fire safety standard, "Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs): Guidance for Landlords and Agents" (June 2023). It is based on the Cambridgeshire standard, which 2 other councils use 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 (HMOs): Guidance for Landlords and Agents
Published June 2023.
Read the council's document →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 Fenland 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
- Fire doors on bedrooms
- Not required
- Fire door on the kitchen
- Not required
- Protected escape route
- Not required
- Heat detector in the kitchen
- Required
- Emergency lighting
- Not required
- Fire blanket in the kitchen
- Required
- Fire extinguishers
- Not advised
3-storey shared house, 6 tenants
- Fire alarm system
- Grade D1, LD2
- 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 advised
3-storey bedsits with cooking in rooms, 6 tenants
- Fire alarm system
- Grade A, LD2, plus a standalone heat detector 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 advised
| 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 | Grade D1, LD2 | Grade A, LD2, plus a standalone heat detector in each letting |
| Fire doors on bedrooms | Not required | Required | Required |
| Fire door on the kitchen | Not required | Required | Required |
| Protected escape route | Not 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 advised | Not advised | Not advised |
- 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
“Existing premise - Grade D1, Category LD2 system ... New or materially altered premise – Grade D1, Category LD1 system ... Existing, new, or materially altered premise – Grade A, Category LD2 system in the communal areas, in accordance with British Standard 5839-1:2017 for a Category L2 system ... Grade D1, Category LD1 system in the individual dwelling units comprising of a single room, not connected to the communal system, where there are no cooking facilities within the unit ... Grade D1, Category LD1 system* in the individual dwelling units, not connected to the communal system, where there are cooking facilities in the unit ... Grade D1, Category LD2 system in the individual dwelling units, not connected to the communal system, comprising of two or more rooms ... In individual bedsits which include cooking facilities, a heat sensor or multi-sensor fire alarm should be fitted ... New or materially altered premise – two-storey houses and maisonettes with no floor above 4.5m from ground level – Grade A, Category LD2 system ... Existing, new, or materially altered premise – three storey house - Grade D1, Category LD2 system ... Existing premise – four-storey house – Grade D1, Category LD1 system ... New or materially altered premise – four-storey house - Grade A, Category LD1 system ... Interlinked heat alarms to the communal system with integral tamper-proof standby supply battery back-up located in each bedroom ... Any shared house where there are more than 6 persons the fire detection and alarm systems shall comply with bedsit type HMO requirements”
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
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
“The Fire Service discourages the provision of fire extinguishers except in premises with full time onsite staff who are trained in their use.”
Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will check it.
Not in Fenland?
Councils using the same standard as Fenland
Common questions
Do I need a fire risk assessment for a Fenland HMO licence?
Can I do my own HMO fire risk assessment in Fenland?
Which fire safety standard does Fenland use for HMOs?
What fire alarm does a 3-storey shared house need in Fenland?
Check your Fenland HMO against the council's standard
Answer plain-English questions about your house and get a fire risk assessment report built on Fenland's rules. £45, no subscription.