London
Westminster HMO fire safety requirements
Westminster publishes its own HMO fire safety standard, "Guide to Houses in Multiple Occupation: Shared houses and flats standards (Westminster City Council)" (April 2021).
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?
Guide to Houses in Multiple Occupation: Shared houses and flats standards (Westminster City Council)
Published April 2021.
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 Westminster 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
- Recommended
3-storey shared house, 6 tenants
- Fire alarm system
- Grade A, 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
- 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 D1, LD2 | Grade A, 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 | Required |
| Fire blanket in the kitchen | Required | Required | Required |
| Fire extinguishers | Recommended | Recommended | Recommended |
- 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
“Grade D1 mains powered [with tamper proof battery backup] AFD system must be provided in houses up to 2 storeys. The system should provide Category LD2 coverage, with smoke alarms in the bedrooms, entrance hallway, any internal stairway, shared living room, together with a heat alarm in the kitchen.”
Fire doors
Council's own standard
“The layout and design of the house must provide a protected escape route from the bedrooms to the front door. In most cases this is by means of a protected entrance hallway comprising fire resisting partitions and internal fire doors. Internal fire doors must provide at least 20 minutes fire resistance.”
Escape route
Council's own standard
“The layout and design of the house must provide a protected escape route from the bedrooms to the front door. In most cases this is by means of a protected entrance hallway comprising fire resisting partitions and internal fire doors. Internal fire doors must provide at least 20 minutes fire resistance.”
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 which comes on if mains electricity fails must be fitted to illuminate the protected route and some internal staircases, and must be in compliance with BS 5266.”
Fire extinguishers
Council's own standard
“A 1 litre multi-purpose extinguisher suitable for use on electrical fires should be sited in the kitchen or hallway.”
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Common questions
Do I need a fire risk assessment for a Westminster HMO licence?
Can I do my own HMO fire risk assessment in Westminster?
Which fire safety standard does Westminster use for HMOs?
What fire alarm does a 3-storey shared house need in Westminster?
Check your Westminster HMO against the council's standard
Answer plain-English questions about your house and get a fire risk assessment report built on Westminster's rules. £45, no subscription.