West Midlands
Stoke-on-Trent HMO fire safety requirements
Stoke-on-Trent publishes its own HMO fire safety standard, "Fire Safety Standards Required for Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) (Stoke-on-Trent City Council)" (May 2026).
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 Standards Required for Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) (Stoke-on-Trent City Council)
Published May 2026.
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 Stoke-on-Trent 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
- 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 advised
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
- Not advised
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
- Not advised
| 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, 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 | Not advised | Not advised | Not advised |
- 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)
In the council's own words
The wording these requirements come from, quoted from the published documents.
Fire alarms
Council's own standard
“Expected Fire Safety Features ... 1–2 Storey HMO with 3–6 Occupants ... Requirement Shared House Non-Shared ... Fire Alarm Grade D1: LD2 Grade D1 or Grade D1 or ... Expected Fire Safety Features ... 3–4 Storey HMO with 3–9 Occupants ... All Storey Sizes with 10 or More”
Fire doors
Council's own standard
“Fire Doors Well-fitted All bedroom, All bedroom, kitchen and lounge”
Escape route
Council's own standard
“Walls and partitions on an escape route must be of 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
“Required if the means of escape has no borrowed light and/or the escape route is long or complex.”
Fire extinguishers
Council's own standard
“Fire extinguishers should only be present if serviced annually, tenants are trained, and staff work or sleep at the property.”
Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will check it.
Common questions
Do I need a fire risk assessment for a Stoke-on-Trent HMO licence?
Can I do my own HMO fire risk assessment in Stoke-on-Trent?
Which fire safety standard does Stoke-on-Trent use for HMOs?
What fire alarm does a 3-storey shared house need in Stoke-on-Trent?
Check your Stoke-on-Trent HMO against the council's standard
Answer plain-English questions about your house and get a fire risk assessment report built on Stoke-on-Trent's rules. £45, no subscription.