West Midlands
Malvern Hills HMO fire safety requirements
Malvern Hills publishes its own HMO fire safety standard, "Standards for Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO), POL0016 (Malvern Hills and Wychavon District Councils)" (Implemented March 2026).
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?
A "competent person"
The council says a "competent person" must carry it out. In fire safety law that means someone with enough training, experience or knowledge to assess the house properly. A careful landlord can meet that.
Which standard applies?
Standards for Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO), POL0016 (Malvern Hills and Wychavon District Councils)
Published Implemented March 2026.
Read the council's document →When did we last check?
30 September 2026
We re-check every council's documents each month and update this page when they change.
What Malvern Hills 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, LD3
- 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 required
3-storey shared house, 6 tenants
- Fire alarm system
- Grade D1, LD3
- 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 required
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
- Required
| 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, LD3 | Grade D1, LD3 | 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 | 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 required | Not required | Required |
- Grade D1 (mains alarms with a sealed 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)
In the council's own words
The wording these requirements come from, quoted from the published documents.
Fire alarms
Shared regional standard
“It is not recommended that a Grade D2 system is installed in rented dwellings. ... details what the councils will accept as the minimum in terms of the grade and coverage of ... Shared Grade D1: LD3 system ... integral battery pack back-up ... including bedrooms, living rooms, kitchen (heat ... Grade D1: LD2 coverage in ... Interlinked heat alarms with integral battery back-up located in each bedsit ... Additional non-interlinked smoke alarms with integral battery back-up in each bedsit ... Grade A: LD2 coverage in the ... Grade D1 smoke alarms in each bedsit to protect the sleeping occupants (non-interlinked)”
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
Shared regional standard
“All properties must have a protected fire escape route where all occupants are able to escape safely in the event of a fire. ... No requirement for full 30-minute protected ... route but the escape route should have ... 30-minute protected route is required, ... where construction standards are poor, travel distances are long or other high risk factors are present, a 30-minute protected route and 30-minute fire doors may be required.”
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
“Where kitchen facilities are provided within bedrooms or bedsitting rooms, they should be situated in a distinct kitchen area ... i. A fire blanket and suitable small fire extinguisher.”
Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will check it.
Not in Malvern Hills?
Councils using the same standard as Malvern Hills
Common questions
Do I need a fire risk assessment for a Malvern Hills HMO licence?
Can I do my own HMO fire risk assessment in Malvern Hills?
Which fire safety standard does Malvern Hills use for HMOs?
What fire alarm does a 3-storey shared house need in Malvern Hills?
Check your Malvern Hills HMO against the council's standard
Answer plain-English questions about your house and get a fire risk assessment report built on Malvern Hills's rules. £45, no subscription.