As of 1st October 2023, landlords responsible for “small paying-guest-accommodation” in England are legally required to adhere to new regulations around fire safety. The UK government has highlighted fire safety as a major priority for property owners and occupiers – according to Fire England, each year around 200 people lose their lives due to a fire at home, with many of these being classified as preventable.

 

Now, regulations have been tightened for owners of smaller holiday lettings, such as B&Bs and guest houses to ensure their properties keep guests safe.

 

What is the new fire safety legislation and who does it impact?

Amid the rise in popularity of casual booking of rooms and properties through online platforms, the new rules have been created to ensure that holiday lettings, including those that let out a single room for a single night, are safe from fire hazards.

 

What is small paying-guest-accommodation?

This is defined as:

  • Single premises of ground floor, or ground and first floor, providing sleeping accommodation for a maximum of 10 persons, with no more than four bedrooms on the first floor.

  • Individual flats, other than unusually large flats.

  • Smaller types of outdoor guest accommodation such as caravans, camping and glamping pods, lodges, shepherds’ huts, tents, tree houses and yurts.

 

More detail can be found here.

 

If you choose to rent out any of the aforementioned accommodations on a short-term or holiday basis, you must comply with the Fire Safety Order (FSO).

 

Under this order, it is your responsibility to take necessary precautions to protect all individuals using your premises from the potential risks of fire. Compliance with fire safety laws is a legal requirement. Failure to meet these obligations may result in prosecutions, fines, or even imprisonment.

How to make sure you are compliant

 

Smoke and heat alarms

For fire detection specifically, those operating small paying-guest-accommodation should install smoke detectors in bedrooms, dining rooms, living rooms, hallways, staircases and corridors. Heat alarms should be installed in every kitchen. These should be interlinked and preferably mains powered with a tamper-proof battery and in line with BS 5839-6. However, long-life, sealed battery powered alarms may be acceptable as a short-term measure (2-3 years). Larger properties or those with complex layouts may need more sophisticated detection systems.

 

Alarms should be tested on a monthly basis and serviced by a competent person every six months and these records should be logged on each occasion. However, for premises where staff or owners are not present (such as self catering) the alarms should be tested between each change of occupancy. Smoke and heat alarms must be replaced according to the manufacturers guidelines.

Read our guide to alarm maintenance here.

 

Fire extinguishers and fire blankets

Furthermore, if you have staff on the premises, or if they regularly visit the premises, firefighting equipment should be provided, and staff should be trained on how to use the equipment. Property owners or managers will need to make sure that the instructions on how to use any firefighting equipment are clear, that there is a warning that evacuation is preferable, and that staff should not put themselves at risk or tackle anything other than a very small fire.

 

In self-catering accommodation, although guests are not expected to use fire-fighting equipment, landlords may wish to provide a small multi-purpose fire extinguisher and/or fire blanket in the kitchen area.

 

Fire Risk Assessments

Meanwhile, rules around Fire Risk Assessments (FRA) have also been tightened, with new regulations stating that small holiday let businesses with fewer than five employees must now formally record their Fire Risk Assessments. These should ideally be carried out by a professional with an appropriate level of knowledge and understanding of fire safety, especially for accommodation that is larger than a one- or two-bed apartment. The FRA should be displayed in the property, such as in the information folder.  

 

More detail

For more detail on the full set of requirements for holiday let owners or managers, visit the following webpages:

 

Kidde support

We welcome the updates to the holiday letting regulations. To make this process as easy as possible, Kidde offers a wide range of compliant smoke, heat and carbon monoxide alarms to suit the needs of any dwelling. Click here to find out more about our Kidde Firex and Cavius ranges. Our expert team are also on hand to offer guidance on how to comply.

 

Click here to view our full product range.