Sector · Greater Manchester
Fire safety compliance for landlords
HMOs, flats above shops, small commercial lets: the buildings are modest but the duties are not. One contract keeps the alarm, the lighting and the paperwork right without you becoming a fire safety administrator.
Your position
The paperwork is the product, because the paperwork is what gets checked
Councils licensing HMOs, insurers renewing policies and mortgage lenders refinancing all ask for the same things: a current fire risk assessment, alarm service records, and emergency lighting test results. A landlord with three properties and three ring binders usually has at least one gap. Our contract puts every property on one schedule and every certificate in one pack.
Mixed-use buildings, the classic flat above a shop, are where duties get tangled: the commercial unit falls squarely under the Fire Safety Order, the common stair serving the flats does too, and the alarm often needs to protect both. We design and maintain systems that respect that split and document who is responsible for which part.
Through SB Electrical Group you also get the electrical side from the same people: EICRs, smoke alarm upgrades to the domestic standard where needed, and the emergency callout line for when a tenant rings you at midnight.
Asked by landlords
Does a landlord need a fire alarm service contract for an HMO?
Licensing conditions almost always require the fire detection system to be maintained and test records kept, and a service contract is how you evidence that.
Most councils expect BS 5839-6 systems in HMOs to be tested and serviced with records available on inspection. A lapsed logbook is one of the quickest ways to put a licence renewal at risk.
What fire safety records will my insurer actually ask for?
Typically the fire risk assessment, the latest alarm service certificate and emergency lighting test results, especially after any claim.
Insurers increasingly audit before renewal rather than after a loss. Producing a complete pack in one email, which is how we send it, keeps premiums and excesses where they should be.
Next step: a free compliance check of your building and its paperwork, with a written summary and a fixed contract price.
Get a price