Used by 2 councils
South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse HMO fire safety standards
South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse district councils publish one set of Houses in Multiple Occupation Standards (Version 1, January 2024).
Read "South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils Houses in Multiple Occupation Standards" (Version 1, January 2024) →What the South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse standard expects in 3 typical HMOs
Your council may have changed some of the detail, so check your council's own page below.
| 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 D2, LD2 | Grade A, LD2, plus a linked heat detector and a standalone smoke alarm in each letting |
| Fire doors on bedrooms | Recommended | Required* | Required |
| Fire door on the kitchen | 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 | Required | Required | Required |
- 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
“Low risk shared house ... a whole property which has been rented out by an identifiable group (e.g. students or friends) on a single tenancy agreement ... Grade D LD2 fire alarm system with smoke detectors in the escape route at all floor levels and heat alarm in kitchens. All alarms must be mains wired and interlinked.”
Fire doors
Shared regional standard
“Bedroom doors: Close fitting, traditionally constructed, solid wood. ... Bedroom doors: 30 minute fire doors (FD30) with heat and smoke seals and self-closer”
Emergency lighting
Shared regional standard
“Only required in properties with 3 or more staorey where route is complex or there is no effective borrowed light”
Fire extinguishers
Shared regional standard
“'Fire safety equipment' such as extinguishers must be supplied and of the correct type.”
Councils using the South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse standard
Every council's HMO fire safety standard →Common questions
Which councils use the South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse standard?
2 councils: South Oxfordshire, Vale of White Horse.
Is the South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse 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.
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