Are you a Landlord? Do you own an HMO (House in Multiple Occupancy)? Do you require Fire Risk Assessment for Flats?
Every landlord or owner of an HMO (Houses in Multiple Occupation) property is obliged to keep that property’s occupants safe from fire or the risk of fire. A fire risk assessment of your building can help you pick out all fire hazards and potential fire hazards and give you recommendations to protect tenants and your building from fire incidents.
Landlords are not expected to offer their tenants fire safety training. However, an HMO fire risk assessment will help you and the occupants of your property to recognise that the building is safe.
The Housing Act 2004 and the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 obliges owners of HMOs to regularly conduct fire risk assessments and reviews, with a further recommendation that fire risk assessment reviews take place annually.
Fire Risk Assessment for Flats requires the communal areas of the building (i.e. the shared areas including shared stairways, landings, kitchens, bathrooms etc.) to be fire risk assessed under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order.
Office Fire Safety Assessment
In the case of landlords who own a multiple occupancy office block, both landlord and tenants share the responsibility for the building’s fire safety. The landlord or the building’s managing agent is responsible for ensuring that all communal areas comply with fire regulations and that a fire risk assessment is carried out on these areas. However, it is the tenants’ responsibility to ensure that fire risk assessments are carried out in the occupied areas. It is recommended that landlords keep a copy of any such fire risk assessments. If you require a building fire risk assessment, please contact a member of our team for a no-obligation conversation about a fire risk assessment.