North East
Gateshead HMO fire safety requirements
Gateshead publishes its own HMO fire safety standard, "Mandatory Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation: Policy and Guide for Landlords and Agents, Appendix C HMO Property Standard (Gateshead Council)" (2025). It is based on the Tyne and Wear standard, which 2 other councils use too.
Is a fire risk assessment needed for the licence?
Yes, as a licence condition
You need a written fire risk assessment as a condition of the licence, and the council can ask to see it at any time.
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?
Mandatory Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation: Policy and Guide for Landlords and Agents, Appendix C HMO Property Standard (Gateshead Council)
Published 2025.
Read the council's document →When did we last check?
13 October 2026
We re-check every council's documents each month and update this page when they change.
What Gateshead 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
- Fire doors on bedrooms
- Not 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
- 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 D2, LD2 | Grade A, 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 | 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)
- 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
“A mixed system, Grade A, LD2 system comprised of interlinked smoke alarms on the escape route on all levels, in all risk rooms in which a fire might start ... A mixed system, Grade D, LD2 system comprised of interlinked smoke alarms on the escape route on all levels, in all bedrooms”
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
Council's own standard
“A 30 minute protected route is required including 30 minute fire resisting construction and FD30S doors to all risk rooms”
Kitchen heat detector
LACORS national guide
“additional interlinked heat alarm with integral battery back-up located in the kitchen”
Emergency lighting
Shared regional standard
“Emergency lighting to be provided if escape route is long, complex or lacks sufficient borrowed light”
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 Gateshead?
Councils using the same standard as Gateshead
Common questions
Do I need a fire risk assessment for a Gateshead HMO licence?
Can I do my own HMO fire risk assessment in Gateshead?
Which fire safety standard does Gateshead use for HMOs?
What fire alarm does a 3-storey shared house need in Gateshead?
Check your Gateshead HMO against the council's standard
Answer plain-English questions about your house and get a fire risk assessment report built on Gateshead's rules. £45, no subscription.