Yorkshire and The Humber
York HMO fire safety requirements
York publishes its own HMO fire safety standard, "Fire Safety Guidance for HMOs (City of York Council and North Yorkshire FRS)" (4 September 2019, V1.0).
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 Guidance for HMOs (City of York Council and North Yorkshire FRS)
Published 4 September 2019, V1.0.
Read the council's document →When did we last check?
12 October 2026
We re-check every council's documents each month and update this page when they change.
What York 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, LD3
- Fire doors on bedrooms
- Not required
- Fire door on the kitchen
- Recommended
- Protected escape route
- Not 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, LD3
- 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, LD3 | Grade D2, LD3 | Grade A, LD2, plus a linked heat detector and a standalone smoke alarm in each letting |
| Fire doors on bedrooms | Not required | Required | Required |
| Fire door on the kitchen | Recommended | 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 | Recommended | Recommended | Recommended |
- Grade D2 (mains alarms with a replaceable backup battery)
- Grade A (a panel system with call points)
- LD3 (escape route only)
- 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
Shared regional standard
“interlinked hard-wired smoke detectors (heat detector to kitchen) with integral battery back up within the staircase enclosure, rooms accessed from the staircase enclosure (with the exception of the bathroom/WC) (Include all bedrooms, living rooms, dining rooms and cellar ... Automatic Fire Detection and alarm system throughout the building (staircase enclosure and lobbies and rooms leading off the staircase enclosure) ... Grade A system in accordance with British Standard 5839: Part 1”
Fire doors
Shared regional standard
“Fire doors to all rooms leading onto a means of escape (with the exception of bathrooms/WC) ... Fire doors to all rooms that can be accessed from the staircase, (with the exception of the bathroom/WC) ... fire resistant doors to all rooms leading onto a means of escape (with the exception of bathrooms/WC), including fire doorsets to British Standard 8214”
Escape route
Shared regional standard
“Walls to the ground floor kitchen and to the staircase enclosure to be ... 30 minute protected route including wall and ceiling constructions to risk rooms ... A protected escape route should be provided”
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 York?
Councils using the same standard as York
Common questions
Do I need a fire risk assessment for a York HMO licence?
Can I do my own HMO fire risk assessment in York?
Which fire safety standard does York use for HMOs?
What fire alarm does a 3-storey shared house need in York?
Check your York HMO against the council's standard
Answer plain-English questions about your house and get a fire risk assessment report built on York's rules. £45, no subscription.