Used by 4 councils
Lancashire HMO fire safety standards
Councils in East Lancashire (Burnley, Rossendale) and Central Lancashire (Chorley, South Ribble) publish shared HMO amenity standards with a fire precautions table.
Read the Lancashire document →What the Lancashire standard expects in 3 typical HMOs
Councils publish more than one version of this standard. This table uses the version most of them publish. Your council's page shows its exact version.
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
- Recommended
3-storey shared house, 6 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
- Recommended
3-storey bedsits with cooking in rooms, 6 tenants
- Fire alarm system
- Grade A, LD2, plus a linked heat detector and 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
| 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 D2, LD2, plus a linked smoke alarm in each letting | Grade A, LD2, plus a linked heat detector and a linked 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 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)
- * The council's own standard asks for less here, so we show the LACORS minimum. We never go below LACORS.
What the standard says
Fire alarms
Shared regional standard
“Grade A* fire alarm system with smoke detectors in escape route at all levels, heat alarm in the kitchen, incorporate manual call points. ... Grade D* fire alarm system with smoke detectors in escape route at all levels and heat alarm in the kitchen ... Additional interlinked smoke alarms to bedrooms ... Additional interlinked smoke alarms in any cellar”
Fire doors
Shared regional standard
“Bedroom doors must be 30 minute fire doors with combination heat and smoke seal intumescent strips ... Note - Self closer devices should be fitted to all 30 minute fire doors.”
Escape route
Shared regional standard
“30 minute protected escape route. ** ... the staircase enclosure should be of sound, conventional construction throughout the route, and the stairs should be 30 minutes fire resisting.”
Kitchen heat detector
LACORS national guide
“additional interlinked heat alarm with integral battery back-up located in the kitchen”
Emergency lighting
Shared regional standard
“Note – Emergency escape lighting required only if route is complex or where there is no effective 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.”
Councils using the Lancashire standard
Every council's HMO fire safety standard →Common questions
Which councils use the Lancashire standard?
4 councils: Burnley, Chorley, Rossendale, South Ribble.
Is the Lancashire standard stricter than LACORS?
In some places, yes. Where it asks for more than LACORS, you need to meet it. Where it asks for less, or says nothing, we use the LACORS minimum instead.
Check your HMO against your council's standard
Answer plain-English questions about your house and get a fire risk assessment report built on your council's rules. £45, no subscription.