East of England
Norwich HMO fire safety requirements
Norwich publishes its own HMO fire safety standard, "Private Sector Housing: Fire precautions in dwellings (Norwich City Council)" (May 2016).
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?
Private Sector Housing: Fire precautions in dwellings (Norwich City Council)
Published May 2016.
Read the council's document →When did we last check?
15 October 2026
We re-check every council's documents each month and update this page when they change.
What Norwich 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
- Not required
- Fire door on the kitchen
- Required
- Protected escape route
- Not required
- Heat detector in the kitchen
- Required
- Emergency lighting
- Not required
- Fire blanket in the kitchen
- Required
- Fire extinguishers
- Required
3-storey shared house, 6 tenants
- Fire alarm system
- Grade D2, 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
- 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 D2, LD3 | Grade D2, LD2 | 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 | 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)
- 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
“The HMO must have close fitting doors to all risk rooms and a Grade D LD3 fire detection system with an additional Grade D interlinked heat detector to the kitchen(s). ... The HMO must have a fully protected means of escape and a Grade D LD2 fire detection system. ... A mixed Grade A and Grade D smoke and heat detection system. ... FD30s door. Grade D heat detection ... Grade F smoke detector in each bedroom/unit”
Fire doors
Council's own standard
“Kitchens within bedroom/unit ... FD30s door. Grade D heat detection”
Escape route
LACORS national guide
“No requirement for full 30-minute protected route note 7, but the escape route should have sound, traditional construction and should not pass through risk rooms ... 30-minute protected route note 8, is required, including 30-minute fire-resisting construction”
Kitchen heat detector
LACORS national guide
“additional interlinked heat alarm with integral battery back-up located in the kitchen”
Emergency lighting
Council's own standard
“Emergency lighting is required if the means of escape does not have effective borrowed light.”
Fire extinguishers
Council's own standard
“A multi-purpose extinguisher and a fire blanket is required in each kitchen.”
Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will check it.
Common questions
Do I need a fire risk assessment for a Norwich HMO licence?
Can I do my own HMO fire risk assessment in Norwich?
Which fire safety standard does Norwich use for HMOs?
What fire alarm does a 3-storey shared house need in Norwich?
Check your Norwich HMO against the council's standard
Answer plain-English questions about your house and get a fire risk assessment report built on Norwich's rules. £45, no subscription.