North East

Northumberland HMO fire safety requirements

Northumberland publishes its own HMO fire safety standard, "Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation: Guidance to Applicants, Appendix 2 Fire Safety Standards (Northumberland County Council)" (Undated (about 2018)).

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?

Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation: Guidance to Applicants, Appendix 2 Fire Safety Standards (Northumberland County Council)

Published Undated (about 2018).

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 Northumberland 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 D2, 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: Recommended

3-storey shared house, 6 tenants

Fire alarm system: Grade D2, 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: Recommended

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: 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, LD3	Grade D2, LD3	Grade A, LD2, plus a linked heat detector and a standalone 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	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)
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

Council's own standard

“Benchmark guidance for recommended fire safety standards in bedsit HMO”

Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation: Guidance to Applicants, Appendix 2 Fire Safety Standards (Northumberland County Council), Undated (refers to October 2018)

Fire doors

Council's own standard

“Benchmark guidance for recommended fire safety standards in shared houses up to 3 storeys ... No requirement for protected route ... No requirement for fire doors”

Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation: Guidance to Applicants, Appendix 2 Fire Safety Standards (Northumberland County Council), Undated (refers to October 2018)

Escape route

Council's own standard

“Benchmark guidance for recommended fire safety standards in shared houses up to 3 storeys ... No requirement for protected route ... No requirement for fire doors”

Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation: Guidance to Applicants, Appendix 2 Fire Safety Standards (Northumberland County Council), Undated (refers to October 2018)

Kitchen heat detector

LACORS national guide

“additional interlinked heat alarm with integral battery back-up located in the kitchen”

LACORS Housing - Fire Safety: guidance on fire safety provisions for certain types of existing housing, July 2008

Emergency lighting

Council's own standard

“Emergency escape lighting required Conventional artificial lighting required ... No requirement for emergency escape lighting ... Emergency escape lighting required only if the route is long or complex or where there is no effective borrowed”

Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation: Guidance to Applicants, Appendix 2 Fire Safety Standards (Northumberland County Council), Undated (refers to October 2018)

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.”

LACORS Housing - Fire Safety: guidance on fire safety provisions for certain types of existing housing, July 2008

Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will check it.

Not in Northumberland?

LACORS fire safety guide for HMOs →Every council's HMO fire safety standard →

Common questions

Do I need a fire risk assessment for a Northumberland HMO licence?

The council lists a written fire risk assessment as one of the documents you send with your HMO licence application.

Can I do my own HMO fire risk assessment in Northumberland?

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 fire safety standard does Northumberland use for HMOs?

Northumberland publishes "Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation: Guidance to Applicants, Appendix 2 Fire Safety Standards (Northumberland County Council)" (Undated (about 2018)). Like most councils, it builds on the national LACORS guide.

What fire alarm does a 3-storey shared house need in Northumberland?

For a typical 3-storey shared house with 6 tenants, Northumberland's rules work out at Grade D2, LD3. Your house may need something different depending on its layout, so check it properly with a fire risk assessment.

Check your Northumberland HMO against the council's standard

Answer plain-English questions about your house and get a fire risk assessment report built on Northumberland's rules. £45, no subscription.

Start my fire risk assessment