Short answer: A safe shared house needs suitable alarms, protected escape routes and regular checks. Start by confirming your property’s status with the council, then establish what fire precautions it needs. Requirements vary across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, so another landlord’s checklist may not fit your house.
1. Check the rules for your shared house
A house in multiple occupation, usually called an HMO, is broadly a property shared by people from more than one household who share facilities. Exact definitions, exemptions and licensing requirements differ across the UK.
Do not assume a smaller shared house is exempt from fire safety duties because it does not need a licence.
- Ask the council’s private housing team whether your property is an HMO and needs licensing.
- Request its current fire safety guidance and check any existing licence conditions.
- Explain the number of occupants, households and storeys, plus the layout and tenancy arrangements.
- Mention loft conversions, basement rooms and escape routes that pass through another room.
Important: An HMO licence does not replace ongoing safety management. Standards can also change when you alter the property or how it is occupied.
2. Establish the risks and make an action plan
A fire risk assessment considers how a fire might start, who could be harmed and whether people can escape safely. It should address the actual building and its occupants, not simply repeat a generic checklist.
Whether a particular formal assessment duty applies depends on the jurisdiction and arrangements, including whether there are common parts. Shared areas of many HMOs fall within fire safety requirements. Ask the council or a competent fire risk assessor to clarify your position.
- Choose someone with relevant shared-house experience and suitable evidence of competence and insurance.
- Provide floor plans, occupancy details, previous assessments and safety records where available.
- Ask for a written report with prioritised actions, responsibilities and timescales.
- Tell the assessor about anyone who may need additional warning or help escaping.
Keep the assessment under review. Review it after significant changes, a fire or a near miss, or if it may no longer be valid. Follow any specified review interval rather than assuming that one annual visit covers every duty.
3. Get alarms, doors and escape routes right
The right precautions depend on the layout, occupancy and fire strategy. Avoid buying equipment before confirming the required specification.
- Alarms: Many shared houses need mains-powered, interlinked detection with backup power. Larger or more complex properties may need a panel-based system. Confirm detector types, locations and system grade with a competent professional.
- Fire doors: Bedrooms and kitchens opening onto a protected escape route may need fire-resisting doors. Required closers, seals, frames and glazing must work together. A new door leaf alone may not solve the problem.
- Escape routes: Keep stairs, halls and exits clear. Make sure final exits can be opened readily from inside without searching for a key.
- Emergency lighting: It may be needed where escape routes would otherwise be inadequately lit during a power failure. Have the need assessed.
- Everyday hazards: Keep combustible storage and charging e-bikes or scooters away from escape routes. Never wedge fire doors open.
Give tenants clear instructions about raising the alarm, leaving safely and calling 999. Do not assume everyone knows the building’s evacuation arrangements.
4. Test, maintain and keep useful records
Installing equipment is only the start. Set a documented maintenance schedule based on the system, professional advice, manufacturer’s instructions and applicable requirements.
- Record alarm and emergency lighting tests, servicing, faults and repairs.
- Check that fire doors close properly and report damaged seals, frames or hardware.
- Keep escape routes clear through routine inspections, with appropriate notice and respect for tenants’ privacy.
- Arrange gas and electrical safety checks where required and retain the records.
- Maintain landlord-supplied appliances safely. Portable appliance testing can help, but blanket annual PAT testing is not a universal requirement for every UK rental.
Tell tenants how to report faults and act promptly. Certificates are useful evidence, but they do not replace fixing hazards.
5. Compare quotes for the same work
Costs vary with location, building complexity and the scope of the assessment or remedial work. Get property-specific quotes rather than relying on a headline price.
- Confirm whether the quote includes a site visit, written report, VAT and follow-up advice.
- Separate assessment costs from installation, repairs and ongoing servicing.
- Check relevant experience and competence for each task.
CertifySpace lets you compare anonymous quotes from verified property professionals. Give each professional the same property details so you can compare scope as well as price.
Tip: Keep your assessment, action plan, certificates and maintenance logs in one folder, with reminders for outstanding work and future checks.