Skip to main content
£45 one-off •Your fire risk assessment in 35 minutes •No subscription

Used by 2 councils

North Yorkshire HMO fire safety guidance

Fire Safety Guidance for Houses in Multiple Occupation was written with North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service. North Yorkshire Council publishes the June 2018 version and City of York Council publishes its own copy (September 2019).

Read "Fire Safety Guidance for Houses in Multiple Occupation (North Yorkshire)" (June 2018) →

What the North Yorkshire standard expects in 3 typical HMOs

Your council may have changed some of the detail, so check your council's own page below.

Requirement2-storey shared house, 5 tenants3-storey shared house, 6 tenants3-storey bedsits with cooking in rooms, 6 tenants
Fire alarm systemGrade D2, LD3Grade D2, LD3Grade A, LD2, plus a linked heat detector and a standalone smoke alarm in each letting
Fire doors on bedroomsNot requiredRequiredRequired
Fire door on the kitchenRecommendedRequiredRequired
Protected escape routeNot requiredRequiredRequired
Heat detector in the kitchenRequiredRequiredRequired
Emergency lightingNot requiredNot requiredNot required
Fire blanket in the kitchenRequiredRequiredRequired
Fire extinguishersRecommendedRecommendedRecommended
  • Grade D2 (mains alarms with a replaceable backup battery)
  • Grade A (a panel system with call points)
  • LD3 (escape route only)
  • LD2 (escape route plus rooms where fires are likely to start)

What the standard says

Fire alarms

Shared regional standard

“interlinked hard-wired smoke detectors (heat detector to kitchen) with integral battery back up within the staircase enclosure, rooms accessed from the staircase enclosure (with the exception of the bathroom/WC) (Include all bedrooms, living rooms, dining rooms and cellar ... Automatic Fire Detection and alarm system throughout the building (staircase enclosure and lobbies and rooms leading off the staircase enclosure) ... Grade A system in accordance with British Standard 5839: Part 1”
Fire Safety Guidance for Houses in Multiple Occupation (North Yorkshire FRS and the North Yorkshire authorities, hosted by North Yorkshire Council), June 2018

Fire doors

Shared regional standard

“Fire doors to all rooms leading onto a means of escape (with the exception of bathrooms/WC) ... Fire doors to all rooms that can be accessed from the staircase, (with the exception of the bathroom/WC) ... fire resistant doors to all rooms leading onto a means of escape (with the exception of bathrooms/WC), including fire doorsets to British Standard 8214”
Fire Safety Guidance for Houses in Multiple Occupation (North Yorkshire FRS and the North Yorkshire authorities, hosted by North Yorkshire Council), June 2018

Escape route

Shared regional standard

“Walls to the ground floor kitchen and to the staircase enclosure to be ... 30 minute protected route including wall and ceiling constructions to risk rooms ... A protected escape route should be provided”
Fire Safety Guidance for Houses in Multiple Occupation (North Yorkshire FRS and the North Yorkshire authorities, hosted by North Yorkshire Council), June 2018

Councils using the North Yorkshire standard

Every council's HMO fire safety standard →

Common questions

Which councils use the North Yorkshire standard?
2 councils: North Yorkshire, York.
Is the North Yorkshire 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.

Do your HMO fire risk assessment online

Answer plain-English questions about your house and get a fire risk assessment report with a prioritised action plan. £45, no subscription.