London
Newham HMO fire safety requirements
Newham publishes its own HMO fire safety standard, "Fire Safety guidance in HMO properties" (Not dated (cites BS 5839-6:2019)).
Is a fire risk assessment needed for the licence?
Yes, with your licence application
The council lists a written fire risk assessment as one of the documents you send with your HMO licence application.
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?
Fire Safety guidance in HMO properties
Published Not dated (cites BS 5839-6:2019).
Read the council's document →When did we last check?
14 October 2026
We re-check every council's documents each month and update this page when they change.
What Newham 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, LD2
- 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
- Recommended
3-storey shared house, 6 tenants
- Fire alarm system
- Grade D1, 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, LD1, 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 D1, LD2 | Grade D1, LD2 | Grade A, LD1, 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 | Recommended | Recommended | Recommended |
- Grade D1 (mains alarms with a sealed backup battery)
- Grade A (a panel system with call points)
- LD2 (escape route plus rooms where fires are likely to start)
- LD1 (alarms in all rooms and on the escape route)
In the council's own words
The wording these requirements come from, quoted from the published documents.
Fire alarms
Council's own standard
“BEDSIT TYPE HMO – up to 2 STOREYS ... Grade D1 Category LD1 (BS5839-6:2019) ... Bedrooms without cooking facilities - mains wired interlinked smoke alarms ... Bedrooms with cooking facilities - mains wired interlinked heat detectors plus a non- interlinked smoke alarms ... BEDSIT TYPE HMO – 3 or 4 STOREYS ... Grade A Category LD1 (BS5839-6: 2019) ... in all bedrooms and areas that present a high risk to occupants ... SHARED HOUSE HMO – UP TO 2 STOREYS ... Grade D1 Category LD2 (BS5839-6:2019) ... SHARED HOUSE HMO – 3 or 4 STOREYS ... Grade D1 Category LD2 (BS5839-6 : 2019)”
Fire doors
Council's own standard
“All doors leading onto the escape route must be fire doors providing 30 minute fire protection ... Fire doors 30 minute protection on all exits on to the protected route ... Doors leading onto the escape route must be close fitting solid timber or panelled of substantial construction”
Escape route
Council's own standard
“Property must have a 30 minute minimum protected route, therefore walls and floors must be of sound construction ... Property must have a route that leads to a place of ultimate safety.”
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
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.
Common questions
Do I need a fire risk assessment for a Newham HMO licence?
Can I do my own HMO fire risk assessment in Newham?
Which fire safety standard does Newham use for HMOs?
What fire alarm does a 3-storey shared house need in Newham?
Check your Newham HMO against the council's standard
Answer plain-English questions about your house and get a fire risk assessment report built on Newham's rules. £45, no subscription.