The main information you need to know about holiday let fire regulations and guidance
Benjamin Edgar-Spier, Head of Regulation and Policy (short term lets)
Having strict holiday let fire regulations is a legal requirement, and essential for making sure the property is safe for guests. It is intended to ensure possible risks have been checked and the correct safety features have been put in place.
Read on for the main points you need to know about the new holiday let fire regulations.
Fire safety law and guidance differs between all the countries within the UK. The following bullet points give an idea of some of the specific requirements around the UK and Ireland for holiday lets as of 5th December 2023.
The law and guidance may change in the future though, and the below is only a flavour of what is required; it is necessary to read the guidance for your nation, find links here to: Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland.
Within England and Wales, the new fire safety guidance for smaller holiday lets has been updated for residential properties where guests pay for sleeping accommodation. This guidance came into effect on 1st October 2023:
New fire safety guidance for small and simple holiday lets
Existing fire safety guidance for larger/more complex holiday lets
New fire safety guidance for small and simple holiday lets
Existing fire safety guidance for larger/more complex holiday lets
(Please note when reading the guidance for Wales that there are additional requirements for fire suppression systems within the county of Powys)
Note that guidance is not a minimum standard nor a maximum, but is to be used and taken into account in the context of an individual property and assessing its risks
Find below links detailing the relevant holiday let fire safety laws by nation:
5 yearly EICR is a legal requirement
Portable Appliance Tests are a legal requirement, guidance recommends they should be done annually
Properties must have smoke detectors on each floor and in each living room and separate dining room. Where a property has more than three bedrooms, smoke detectors should be installed in each bedroom. Properties in Scotland must also have a heat detector in the kitchen
Annual gas safety inspections and a gas safety certificate are a legal requirement
Property owners must keep records showing that upholstered furnishings and mattresses comply with holiday let fire regulations and to the extent that it is appropriate
Properties must be equipped with appropriate means for fighting fire and means for giving warning in the event of fire
Read more about holiday let fire regulations in Scotland (from regulation 54 onwards)
Guidance recommends 5 yearly electrical wiring testing
Guidance recommends annual Portable Appliance Tests
Properties must have suitable and adequate fire detection such as hard-wired smoke detectors or heat detectors. It is recommended that smoke detectors are mains-wired with battery backup
Annual gas safety inspections and a gas safety certificate are a legal requirement
If you have staff on the premises, or if they regularly visit the premises, firefighting equipment should be provided. Although guests are not expected to use fire-fighting equipment, you may wish to provide a small multi-purpose fire extinguisher and/or fire blanket in the kitchen area
Read more about holiday let fire regulations in England and Wales
Guidance recommends 5 yearly electrical wiring testing
Guidance recommends annual Portable Appliance Tests
Properties must have suitable and adequate fire detection such as hard-wired smoke detectors or heat detectors. Only the very smallest of accommodations should have battery-powered detectors
Annual gas safety inspections are a legal requirement
If you have staff on the premises, or if they regularly visit the premises, firefighting equipment should be provided. You can buy suitable multi-purpose extinguishers, guaranteed for five years, from a range of larger DIY outlets. You should check the gauge regularly to make sure the ‘stored pressure’ has not leaked. Low maintenance 10-year extinguishers are also available. Multi-purpose powder fire extinguishers should not be provided, as they are not suitable for use in enclosed spaces. In the county of Powys, Wales there are additional requirements for fire suppression systems. Other counties may have further advice and so you will want to check with your local fire service
All new properties must contain a fire sprinkler system. All converted properties under the guidance of the planning/building control regime will require a sprinkler system. In the county of Powys, any new holiday let in relation to which advice or permission to be a holiday let is required, must have a sprinkler system
Read more about holiday let fire regulations in England and Wales
Guidance recommends 5 yearly electrical wiring testing
Guidance recommends annual Portable Appliance Tests
Annual gas safety inspections are a legal requirement
The property must contain a fire blanket. Guidance recommend you add a fire extinguisher for additional protection
Read more about holiday let fire regulations in Northern Ireland (from article 26 onwards and further requirements about such assessments are here)
Guidance recommends 5 yearly electrical wiring testing
Guidance recommends annual Portable Appliance Tests
Guidance recommends that smoke detectors are either mains-wired with battery backup or are 10-year self-contained battery operated
Annual gas safety inspections are a legal requirement
The property must contain a fire blanket. Guidance recommend you add a fire extinguisher for additional protection
Read more about holiday let fire regulations in Ireland (section 18, which is amended by section 29 of this Act so must be read together)
Find below important links detailing the new fire safety regulations for England and Wales that came into place on 1st October 2023:
New guidance for small and simple holiday lets
Existing guidance for large and complex holiday lets
New guidance for small and simple holiday lets
Existing guidance for large and complex holiday lets
As part of the Government’s fire safety strategy, they are continuing to review all current fire safety legislation and guidance.
No, the fire service will allow a reasonable amount of time for you to schedule and complete any works that are required. Contractors will need time for quotes and to plan in any works, and you will need to consider when your bookings are taking place.
We recommend that you seek the advice of your local planning or building control department with the local authority before you make any structural changes. A fire risk assessor can also assist with giving you the correct fire safety advice.
Yes, you will need to have interlinked smoke and heat alarms. The guidance will give you the specific location of these (page 19 of the England guidance and page 17 of the Wales guidance).
The purpose of interlinked alarms is that if there is a fire in one location, then all persons in the property are alerted of the need to evacuate. If you have concerns about your ability to install interlinked alarms, you will need to seek approval from an external fire risk assessor of alternative ways of mitigating the fire risk.
The law requires emergency doors not to be so locked or fastened that they cannot be easily and immediately opened by any person in an emergency. The guidance has expanded on this: “exit doors, such as the front or back door, should always be easy to unlock and must not need a key to unlock them from the inside.”
This is because looking for a key could waste valuable time in evacuating the property. Two types of locks that would satisfy this requirement would be a thumb turn lock or a traditional night latch lock. It is also not satisfactory to have a ‘break glass key box’. Most insurers are aware of the fire safety requirement for these types of locks.
The guidance for each of England (at page 17) and Wales (at page 15) covers this point. As an owner, you need to consider the guidance in assessing the doors you currently have within the property, as you may find that these are suitable.
The holiday let fire safety guidance gives you advice on the type of doors that are acceptable. A competent tradesperson or fire risk assessor will be able to give you further advice if required.
A fire risk assessor will be able to give you the correct advice for the fire safety requirements of a listed property. There may be alternative ways of mitigating the risk, based on the setup of your individual property.
We recommend that your fire risk assessment is completed by a fire risk assessor who has the knowledge, skill and experience to conduct fire risk assessments.
The new fire regulations for holiday lets gives clear advice to follow for inner rooms (on page 18 for England and page 15 for Wales) which is used for bedrooms. If you are unsure, then a fire risk assessor will be able to give you further advice.
As per the new holiday let fire regulations, your fire risk assessment needs to be completed by a fire risk assessor who has the knowledge, skill and experience to conduct fire risk assessments for open plan ground floors.
No, the fire service will not be able to complete a fire risk assessment for you. You will need to use the services of a fire risk assessor. You can find the details of a fire risk assessor in the links above.
If you are unsure how to complete your fire risk assessment, or your property is above commercial premises, we recommend that a fire risk assessor completes a fire risk assessment for your property.
You must get a fire risk assessor to complete the assessment if your property is more than two storeys (i.e. more than ground and first floor), sleeps more than 10 people, has more than 4 bedrooms upstairs or is open plan on the ground floor.
Your insurance company may also require a fire risk assessor is used. Fire risk assessors have the knowledge, skill and experience to understand the fire safety legislation and will be able to carry out an assessment of your property to see if you need to complete any additional fire safety measures.
Running a holiday let entails a legal duty to see that the visitor will be reasonably safe in using the premises. This statutory guidance provides recommendations and guidance to meet this duty and the requirements of the fire safety order.
Even if the wording of the guidance isn’t law in itself, it is best practice. So if someone running a holiday let didn’t follow it and there was a fire, what’s happened will be looked at against the measures set out in the guidance.
As a business owner or responsible person for a holiday let, you have a duty to comply with the requirements of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (“the FSO”). The information contained in these FAQs is based on the interpretation by one health and safety expert we’ve spoken to of ‘A guide to making your small paying-guest-accommodation safe from fire’ and ‘Fire Safety Risk Assessment for Sleeping Accommodation’ (the Guides) and how they can be applied to holiday or short term let accommodation. This is for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Nothing within these answers should be deemed to overrule the Guides or requirements of the FSO, and Sykes Cottages Limited and the health and safety expert we’ve spoken to accept no responsibility or liability for actions taken against businesses or responsible persons by reliance on the information in these FAQs. Last updated on 1.12.23
Our experience and knowledge spans across more than 30 years. What our expert teams don't know about holiday letting isn't worth knowing!
A holiday let fire risk assessment is a document which:
Highlights potential fire hazards in a particular holiday home
Aims to reduce the risk of a fire
Ensures that in the event of a fire, guests can escape unharmed
If you list your property with Sykes, we provide a comprehensive risk assessment template and an example of it completed to help you assess the risk at your property should you wish to.
We can refer you to third parties so that you may agree with them, that they carry out such assessments for you, including where the property is complex from a fire safety perspective, you do not feel comfortable carrying out the assessment yourself or your insurance or mortgage provider requires it. Complex properties might include:
Larger properties (i.e. larger than a typical two storey home with four bedrooms or has unusual or complex routes to exit)
Properties with basements
A flat above a shop/restaurant because it may need fire detection that is linked to the shop/restaurant fire panel, so in the event of fire below the flat, the guests will be alerted, and they can then evacuate
Where loft conversations have been undertaken, as the fire exit route from the loft must be practical and safe for guests to use
The risk assessment will assess the holiday let fire safety measures, and may include matters such as:
5-yearly EICR (electrical wiring and installations) having been completed
PAT testing annually
Carbon monoxide detectors
Hard-wired fire detection such as smoke detectors or heat detectors
Emergency lighting such as torches or fixed lighting
Gas safety inspection and certification
Fire action plans
Fire extinguishers
Thumb turn locks in doors
Some of these control measures are not legal requirements but they are good practice and help guests feel safe at a holiday property.Some properties may have additional facilities such as swimming pools, hot tubs, saunas and steam rooms which need to be taken into consideration when the assessment is completed. Additional annual electrical checks will also need to be undertaken for such facilities.Any actions identified within the fire risk assessment action plan as needing to be completed must be done so within the deadlines specified in order to holiday let safely and compliantly.The guidance recommends that holiday let fire regulations are reviewed annually, this includes the fire risk assessment.
Where fire safety officers request a visit to your holiday home, every effort should be made to accommodate the request.The fire safety officer will give some practical guidance, and this will be confirmed in writing. If they identify control measures that need to be put in place, then notices can be served such as an enforcement notice, prohibition notice or an alteration notice.
It is a legal requirement to comply with these notices within a given timescale. If an owner receives any of these notices, then they should forward a copy to their holiday letting agent immediately and let it know about dealing with bookings.
For more information on other safety requirements click on our guide to holiday let rules and regulations.
If you're thinking of buying a holiday let or just need some advice, our property experts can help answer any queries you may have.
The Sykes Family can’t advise you on, and isn’t responsible for, fire safety at your property, but it hopes that by pointing you in the direction of law and certain relevant Governments’ guidance, and developing a Fire Risk Assessment template for you to use (it may not be suitable for complex properties), it’s starting you off on the right foot, and you can read into this matter further and seek your own advice as and when you feel it’s needed.
The latest guidance on all safety rules, regulations, and legal requirements for letting a holiday home in the UK
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One City Place, Chester, Cheshire, CH1 38Q, United Kingdom
Registration No: 4469189
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