London
Redbridge HMO fire safety requirements
Redbridge publishes its own HMO fire safety standard, "Mandatory HMO licence conditions" (Not dated (live page, fetched 28 September 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?
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?
Mandatory HMO licence conditions
Published Not dated (live page, fetched 28 September 2026).
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 Redbridge 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, LD2, plus a linked 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
3-storey shared house, 6 tenants
- Fire alarm system
- Grade A, LD2, plus a linked 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
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
- 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, LD2, plus a linked smoke alarm in each letting | Grade A, LD2, plus a linked smoke alarm in each letting | 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 | Not 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)
- 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
“Grade A, LD2 systems are required in all HMO properties which have three or more storeys including basements ... Grade D, LD2 systems are required in all HMO properties of up to two storeys high ... which will include all rooms used as bedrooms, communal living rooms, shared kitchens and basements”
Fire doors
Council's own standard
“all doors to rooms used as bedrooms, communal living rooms, shared kitchens and the door to any under stairs cupboard if housing supply meters or electrical consumer units shall be 30-minute fire resisting doors (FD30S)”
Escape route
Council's own standard
“all walls in the HMO that separate rooms used as bedrooms, communal living rooms and shared kitchens from the staircase enclosure shall provide 30 minutes fire resistance from the room side of the wall”
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 of the means of escape route is only required in larger buildings with long escape routes, buildings with a complex layout, buildings with no natural or borrowed lighting in the escape route, or buildings with vulnerable occupiers.”
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 Redbridge HMO licence?
Can I do my own HMO fire risk assessment in Redbridge?
Which fire safety standard does Redbridge use for HMOs?
What fire alarm does a 3-storey shared house need in Redbridge?
Check your Redbridge HMO against the council's standard
Answer plain-English questions about your house and get a fire risk assessment report built on Redbridge's rules. £45, no subscription.