London
Tower Hamlets HMO fire safety requirements
Tower Hamlets publishes its own HMO fire safety standard, "Appendix Five: London Borough of Tower Hamlets Houses in Multiple Occupation Rented Housing Property Standards" (Not dated).
Is a fire risk assessment needed for the licence?
Expected, but not sent in
The council's guidance talks about fire risk assessments, but it does not ask you to send one with your application. Fire safety law still says you need one.
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?
Appendix Five: London Borough of Tower Hamlets Houses in Multiple Occupation Rented Housing Property Standards
Published Not dated.
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 Tower Hamlets 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
- 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, 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, 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 | Grade D2, 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 | 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
“As a minimum all properties must have a suitable mains-wired fire detection system ... have a Grade D LD2 fire detection systems (BS5839 part 6-2013). This includes a mains wired heat detector(s) in the kitchen and any room containing cooking facilities interlinked to a smoke detector(s) in the hallways and every landing.”
Fire doors
Council's own standard
“a means of escape that is adequately protected against the smoke and flames should a fire arise in a kitchen, bedroom or other communal room”
Escape route
Council's own standard
“a means of escape that is adequately protected against the smoke and flames should a fire arise in a kitchen, bedroom or other communal room”
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.
Not in Tower Hamlets?
Common questions
Do I need a fire risk assessment for a Tower Hamlets HMO licence?
Can I do my own HMO fire risk assessment in Tower Hamlets?
Which fire safety standard does Tower Hamlets use for HMOs?
What fire alarm does a 3-storey shared house need in Tower Hamlets?
Check your Tower Hamlets HMO against the council's standard
Answer plain-English questions about your house and get a fire risk assessment report built on Tower Hamlets's rules. £45, no subscription.