South East
Vale of White Horse HMO fire safety requirements
Vale of White Horse publishes its own HMO fire safety standard, "South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils Houses in Multiple Occupation Standards" (Version 1, January 2024).
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?
South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils Houses in Multiple Occupation Standards
Published Version 1, January 2024.
Read the council's document →When did we last check?
28 September 2026
We re-check every council's documents each month and update this page when they change.
What Vale of White Horse 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
- Recommended
- 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, LD2 | Grade D2, LD2 | Grade A, LD2, plus a linked heat detector and a standalone smoke alarm in each letting |
| Fire doors on bedrooms | Recommended | 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)
- LD2 (escape route plus rooms where fires are likely to start)
- * The council's own standard asks for less here, so we show the LACORS minimum. We never go below LACORS.
In the council's own words
The wording these requirements come from, quoted from the published documents.
Fire alarms
Shared regional standard
“Low risk shared house ... a whole property which has been rented out by an identifiable group (e.g. students or friends) on a single tenancy agreement ... Grade D LD2 fire alarm system with smoke detectors in the escape route at all floor levels and heat alarm in kitchens. All alarms must be mains wired and interlinked.”
Fire doors
Shared regional standard
“Bedroom doors: Close fitting, traditionally constructed, solid wood. ... Bedroom doors: 30 minute fire doors (FD30) with heat and smoke seals and self-closer”
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
Shared regional standard
“Only required in properties with 3 or more staorey where route is complex or there is no effective borrowed light”
Fire extinguishers
Shared regional standard
“'Fire safety equipment' such as extinguishers must be supplied and of the correct type.”
Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will check it.
Not in Vale of White Horse?
Councils using the same standard as Vale of White Horse
Common questions
Do I need a fire risk assessment for a Vale of White Horse HMO licence?
Can I do my own HMO fire risk assessment in Vale of White Horse?
Which fire safety standard does Vale of White Horse use for HMOs?
What fire alarm does a 3-storey shared house need in Vale of White Horse?
Check your Vale of White Horse HMO against the council's standard
Answer plain-English questions about your house and get a fire risk assessment report built on Vale of White Horse's rules. £45, no subscription.