New tenants moving into your HMO? It may be time for a new fire risk assessment.
If you own or manage an HMO, particularly student accommodation, a change of tenants can feel routine. One group moves out, another moves in, and the property itself remains largely unchanged.
From a fire safety perspective, however, the risk may have changed.
A fire risk assessment should reflect the property as it is currently occupied and managed. A complete change of occupancy can represent a significant change and should prompt a review of the existing assessment.
Fire risk isn't determined by the building alone. The people living there, how they use the property and their ability to respond in an emergency are also important.
A new group of tenants could mean:
Student HMOs are a particularly good example, with an entirely new group potentially moving into a property at the beginning of each academic year.
Not necessarily.
Replacing one tenant within an otherwise unchanged household may simply require the existing assessment to be reviewed. However, where there has been a complete change of occupancy, an updated fire risk assessment can provide a clear record that the property remains suitable for its current use and occupants.
It is also an opportunity to check whether anything else has changed. Fire doors can become damaged, alarms and emergency lighting may require attention, escape routes can change and servicing or electrical inspections may now be due.
HMO landlords operate within a regulated environment, and fire safety forms an important part of responsible property management.
Having a current, property-specific fire risk assessment can help demonstrate to the local authority during HMO licensing or inspection that fire safety is being actively managed.
It can also provide useful evidence for landlords, managing agents and insurers that appropriate precautions are being maintained. Individual insurance requirements vary, so landlords should always check the conditions of their own policy.
The period between tenancies is often the ideal opportunity to arrange an updated FRA. The property can be inspected before the new occupants settle in and any necessary work can be dealt with beforehand.
Southern Fire Risk Assessments provides independent fire risk assessments and fire door inspections for HMOs across Sussex and the South East.
We don't install alarms, replace fire doors or sell fire safety equipment. Our job is simply to identify genuine risks and provide clear, proportionate advice, with no upselling and no unnecessary recommendations.
New tenants moving in? Make sure your fire risk assessment still reflects the people, property and risk today.
For independent HMO fire risk assessments and fire door inspections across Sussex and the South East, find out more about Southern Fire Risk Assessments on thebestof Eastbourne and get in touch to arrange an assessment.
