Fire risk assessments for landlords and HMOs in Hertfordshire

When a landlord is the responsible person

A landlord is usually the responsible person for the shared parts of a let property — hallways, stairs, shared kitchens or bin stores — because they control those parts as part of their letting business. Inside a tenant's own self-contained flat, the Order generally doesn't apply.

The Fire Safety Act 2021 confirms that where a building has two or more sets of domestic premises, the Order covers the building's structure and external walls, including doors, windows and balconies, the common parts, and every door between a flat and the common parts. For a single let house with no shared areas, there may be no Order duty at all, though other housing and licensing rules can still apply.

HMOs and licensing in Hertfordshire

HMO licensing is handled separately by each of Hertfordshire's ten district councils, and how openly each one publishes its register varies a lot. Two councils don't publish a public count at all, and one register we found is several years out of date.

Single lets vs HMOs vs converted buildings

A single self-contained let has no shared parts, so there's typically no Order duty on the landlord. An HMO or a house converted into flats has shared parts, so the Order applies to those shared parts regardless of whether the property is licensed as an HMO.

HMO licensing and fire risk assessment are two separate duties that often overlap in practice. A council can ask to see a fire risk assessment as part of licensing, but having one doesn't remove the underlying Order duty to review and record it over time, and not being licensed doesn't remove the duty either if the building has shared parts. If you freehold or manage a whole building split into self-contained flats, rather than letting it as a single HMO, our page on blocks of flats and communal areas covers that duty in more detail.

What the assessment covers in an HMO

In an HMO, the assessment looks at escape routes, fire doors, detection and alarms, and how well the shared parts are managed day to day — not just the physical building. Management failures, such as a blocked corridor, are just as relevant as a missing fire door.

Typical points covered include whether there's a clear, unobstructed escape route from every room; whether fire doors to shared corridors and stairs are fitted and working, including self-closers; whether there's adequate detection, such as interlinked smoke alarms; and whether management arrangements, such as keeping escape routes clear of stored items, are actually working in practice, not just written down.

Cost for landlords

Costs for landlords depend on the number of lettings, whether the property is licensed as an HMO, and how many shared areas need checking. See our fire risk assessment cost guide for the published Hertfordshire price range and wider UK context.