HMO

Hi, I have a reasonable size 2 storey detached house in which I rent out up to five bedrooms (currently four as I am not licensed under the new rules) to individual tenants who share everything else, i.e. kitchen, bathroom, toilets, fridge, freezer, etc. There are seven exit points - four downstairs including three doors and one opener, i.e. one in every risk room, and three through window openers at the front of the house that give access to ground floor flat roof areas. I need to put in fire doors and would like to fit 35mm ones into the existing sound frames as advised by various experienced local fitters. This would be far less disruptive than removing the existi…

Hi Is there a particular door closer i need for an internal flat door in a 257 HMO? thanks Jon

We are new firestop company and we need to get Firas. Do you have any ideas how much does it cost to get Firas? Thanks

Hi, I have an interest in a semi-detached house that has been converted to four self-contained flats pre 1991. Three of the flats share an entrance into a communal hallway and the fourth flat has their own separate entrance. All four flats are rented out on Assured Shorthold Tenancy Agreements. Currently each flat has it's own smoke alarm and there are two battery powered smoke alarms (one on each floor) in the communal entrance/hallway. Unfortunately there is no landlord electric supply and in fact the two ceiling mounted lights located in the communal area are powered from one of the flats. My question is - we want to install an interlinked fire alarm system with t…

Hi, Do i need fire doors on all bedrooms, w/c and kitchen or just the front door which opens up into a communal hallway? If so do all doors need door closers or again just the main door which separates the flats? Thanks

Hi, I've been asked to fit 7 fire doors in an art deco flat. The landlord wants to keep the design of the doors - 3 of which have a octagon shaped glazed panel in them. Can i buy a standard FD30 cut a octagon hole, fit fire rated glass with fire rated beading? Or do i need someone with some sort of license to do it? Thanks Neil

I HAVE BEEN ASKED TO PROVIDE CERTIFICATION THAT THE DOWNLIGHTS FITTED WITHIN THE STUDENT ACCOMADATION IS FIRE RATED. THE PROBLEM IS THEY ARE STANDARD DOWNLIGHTS THAT HAVE BEEN FITTED FOR 15/16 YEARS , THE ONLY CHANGE THAT HAS BEEN MADE IS CHANGING THE LAMP FROM HALOGEN TO LED . AM I RIGHT IN THINKING THAT BECAUSE WE ARE NOT ALTERING THE CIRCUIT THAT THESE ARE ACCEPTABLE ? SURELY WE ARENT EXPECTED TO UPDATE EVER PIECE OF ELECTRICAL INSTALLATION TO FOLLOW THE NEW REGS OTHERWISE AND DONT GET ME WRONG WE WOULD JUST BE GOING BACK TO EVERY SINGLE JOB AND UPGRADING INLINE WITH THEM (WOULD BE GREAT FOR BUISNESS) DOES ANYBODY KNOW THE ANSWER AND IF SO WHERE I COULD …

Hi All, I have a 2BD flat that I was thinking of letting out to a friend and then allowing him to sublet one of the bedrooms so there will be only one tenancy. There will be a stipulation that no more than 2 people can live in the flat. Would this still count as a unlicensed HMO and so I would need to install fire doors for the kitchen and lounge. I have also been advised to replace the bedroom doors with solid wood as they are MDF currently. If possible please provide any informational references with your response. Thanks Luke

Hi I find myself in a Section 257 HMO situation. Therefore I've been following the LACORS guidance. Its a three storey house converted to self contained flats, with the common entrance and staircase only serving the first & second floors. My flat is on the first floor, which I will be renting out. The second floor is a private owner occupier (who doesn't want to know about any modifications!!) and the ground floor (with separate entrance) is rented out. I'm carrying out the following works to the common entrance corridor and staircase/landing up to my first floor flat: 1. 30 min fire rated accessible and lockable box around the electricit…

Hi all I’m new to the forum and looking for some guidance. We are in the process of applying for HMO registration for a residential service. We are a registered charity with a property that was a convent. We were doing our final fire risk assessment when it dawned on us that although covered by fire retardant valances & matress covers, the actual divan beds predate the current fire regs. So the question is, do we have to replace 9 beds and mattresses (bearing in mind we are not for profit charity & money is tight)

I'm renovating my rental property and have been told by the council that I need to ensure that all my fire doors meet the floor or leave no bigger a gap then X amount. what can I install on my doors to make sure that there is an appropriate seal? all the doors in question are internal fire doors.

Can anyone please advise on the correct Fire Alarm System for the following. 4 x storey building [including basement]-Converting from old post office into 4 No. self contained flats with full fire separation, all to current building regulations. Flat 4 /2nd floor self contained -Accessed by communal staircase, via communal staircase to 2nd floor Flat 3.1st floor self contained -Accessed by main property door, via communal staircase to 1st floor. Flat 2/ground floor & basement [duplex] self contained-Accessed from shared main property door access [own staircase within flat] Flat 1/ground floor & basement [duplex] self contained -Own A…

Hi, First of all Sorry for my English. I am from Spain and we are in the process of finalizing lease to buy a 10 room bed and breakfast hotel (30 people capacity). We have planned to renovate the entire premises and to get fire safety certified. As I said we are in the stage of finding feasibility how to kick start the process. Before start spending any money on the property renovation I would like find the way to go around it. Question: 1. Do I need to engage fire and safety officer to inspect the property and get the recommendations and follow the recommendations to engage contractors to renovate? 2. Can anyone recommend the contractors where they could ab…

I am trying to find a downloadable certificate to provide one of my customer with for an audibility test...........any ideas?

We recently bought a townhouse which has a garden on the upper level and not on the ground level. To access the garden there is a metal open tread staircase rising from ground level to the second level. Our neighbour has a right of way up the stairway to access his garden. The land beneath the stairs belongs to us, forming part of our plot. Can we store items such as bins, garden equipment underneath the stairs ?

Hi First post although I have used the forum as a resource in the past. We've got a number of HMOs, and they have all had fire doors fitted at various points (some by us, some prior to us buying the property). I understand the need for fire protection, especially in HMOs where occupants are far less likely to know if others are present in the property should the worst happen, but the combination of door closers and the usual cold smoke seals is a problem, namely that, for the brush to be effective it has to be in contact with the door, but it must not provide any significant resistance to stop the closer from closing the door without ratting the door off its h…

I have a quick question I hope you can help me with. I live in small former hotel turned into 6 flats over 3 floors, 2 each floor inc ground. There is only 1 exit, the front door. Its got 2 panels in the bottom, and 2 glass panes in the top. We have recently been told it must be closed at all times because "its a fire door", it has no markings as such, opens outwards, and for all intent and purposes its a standard, quite old, front door used on a communal building (you wouldnt use it on a house). Legally Im not sure you "must" keep external doors closed. I also do not believe this is an actual fire door so cant be labelled as even if legally it must be kept clo…

I am the landlord of a ground floor flat with its own private entrance door which opens from a communal entrance hall with a communal exterior door. There are two flats on each floor of the building and a staircase on each floor leading to the floor above. The building comprises six flats in total and is purpose-built as flats probably in the mid-1980s . I have received a letter from the management company asking me to ensure that my front door has the correct self-closing mechanism and is also fitted with the relevant cold smoke seals and intumescing strips. Please could you advise me about where to go for professional advice in Preston in Lancashire. I have approached t…

Can you please advise what type of fire extinguisher one need for renting in HMO . we have already got fire blanket for small fire and chip pan. Many Thanks

Hello, For a HMO, what fire extinguishers do you recommend for kitchens and common areas? Thanks

Good evening, i work for a property company that lease space to SME, i currently and have always performed the weekly bell test, recently they have employed facilities managers and they have demanded that bell tests are performed exactly at 10am, now i always assumed there was a small window to perform test e.g. 9.45 - 10.15 which with the demands they have piled onto our aready hectic workloads gave us a chance to complete all PPM. Is there any legislation on this ? Regards.

Dear Sir or Madam I live in an apartment on the second floor. About 6 months ago the AOV blew off in high winds over a bank holiday and a temporary fix was implemented by our management company. The AOV was bolted into place so that it cannot open. Despite repeated requests to the management company this has still not been repaired. Is this in breach of fire regulations for shared buildings and would this invalidate building insurance in the event of a fire? I thank you for your time and attention. Daphne

Hello. I wonder if anyone can help. I am carrying out alarm service and testing in various HMO. Aditioanlly each year we have to test the flats mains detector in hallway linked to fire alalrm panel. I am having difficaulty in access to these properties. I send a 1 letter out a month before inspection with certain day for test. this is then followed up by a reminder letter 2 week before service. All with contact number if resident wishes to change date/time etc. I then attend and get no access. I card them, but still get no reply. My question is. Is there a reasonable protocol or process / guideline to state How many times we try to gain access and if detecto…

7x Fire doors have just been installed in an HMO. The property is a 1930's Laing semi detached with dividing walls made of either early aerated block or single leaf brick. The new FD30s fire doors - being far heavier than those removed - now make quite a thud when they close - in fact the walls of the house seem to resonate constantly to the sound of closing doors throughout the day. If closers are adjusted to a less agressive closing and gentle speed - then they do not latch. Just wondered if others had experienced the same.

I live in one of six flats above shops, and use the door and stairs at street level for access. There is another staircase from the first floor landing leading to a yard and a different street at the back of the building which used to be the fire exit - my landlord's builder has now blocked off these back stairs with a wooden door while he renovates the building, work scheduled for 2 years. Can he just remove my fire exit?