Fire safety compliance for HMO management companies
Grade D LD2 fire alarms from £600 installed and certificated, plus emergency lighting, extinguishers and licensing paperwork for letting agents and HMO managers across London.
- Free survey, fixed price per property
- Certificates councils accept
- One calendar for the whole portfolio
Request a call back
Name and number are all we need. We call back within one working day to book a free survey.
- SSAIB approvedFor intruder alarms
- BS 5839 fire alarmsCertificated every visit
- Since 2004Family-run in SW17
- 20+ five-starGoogle reviews
One contractor for the whole HMO book
At Security Red Alert we look after the fire safety compliance of licensed HMOs on behalf of the companies that manage them: letting agents, HMO management specialists, rent-to-rent operators and student housing managers across London.
You are responsible to your landlords for certificates, and to the council for the properties passing inspection. We give you both without you having to chase either: one contractor for fire alarms, emergency lighting and extinguishers, one calendar for every property, and paperwork written to be handed straight to a licensing officer.
What we look after
- Grade D LD2 interlinked fire alarms, installed and certificated to BS 5839-6
- Grade A panel systems for larger or higher-risk HMOs where the council requires them
- Emergency lighting on escape routes, tested and certificated
- Fire extinguishers and fire blankets, supplied and serviced to BS 5306
- Pre-licensing surveys with a written list of what the property needs to pass
- Certificates in the format licensing officers and insurers ask for
- One servicing calendar for the whole portfolio, one contact, one monthly invoice
- Fast attendance for failed alarms in tenanted property, with tenant liaison handled by us
What you get from working with us
Licensing-ready paperwork
Every install and every annual visit produces a certificate naming the grade and category fitted and the standard it was tested to, written for the licensing officer, the insurer or the landlord you report to.
Built for portfolios
Twenty properties on twenty renewal dates is how certificates lapse. We hold one calendar for the whole book, tell you what is due before it is due, and send one invoice a month.
Tenants handled, keys respected
Our engineers work in occupied shared houses every week. We book access directly with tenants where you want us to, keep visits short, and treat key holding and lock-up as part of the job.
The right grade, not the dearest
Most licensed HMOs need Grade D LD2. Some need Grade A. Over-specifying wastes your landlord's money and under-specifying fails inspection. We survey, tell you which applies and why, and quote that.
Built for the people who manage HMOs, not just own them
HMO management companies
You run compliance for dozens of licensed houses owned by other people. You need every property certificated on time, every remedial quoted separately so the landlord can approve it, and a contractor who does not need chasing.
Letting agents with HMO books
HMOs are a fraction of your lettings but most of your compliance headaches. We take the fire safety side off your desk: surveys before a licence application, servicing before renewal, and certificates filed where your team can find them.
Rent-to-rent and student housing operators
High occupancy, high turnover, and licensing conditions that vary by borough. We know what Wandsworth, Lambeth, Croydon and the rest actually ask for, and we specify to pass first time.
What a licensed HMO in London needs
Fire detection: Grade D LD2 as the baseline
Mains-powered, interlinked smoke alarms in every escape route and circulation space, heat alarms in every kitchen and smoke alarms in living rooms, all installed and certificated under BS 5839-6. This is what most London councils expect for a shared house of up to four storeys. Larger or higher-risk HMOs move to a Grade A panel system, which we design, install and certificate the same way.
Emergency lighting on escape routes
Required in larger HMOs and on any escape route where a power failure would leave people in the dark. Monthly function tests and an annual full discharge test, both recorded, both certificated.
Extinguishers and fire blankets
A fire blanket in each kitchen and extinguishers on each floor where the licence conditions call for them, supplied, sited and serviced annually to BS 5306. We do not supply or fit fire doors, but our survey report flags anything a licensing officer is likely to pick up so you can deal with it before the inspection.
Pricing you can pass on to the landlord
A Grade D LD2 system for a typical shared house is from £600 installed and certificated, depending on storeys and rooms. Annual servicing from £80 per property. Emergency lighting and extinguishers are quoted per property. Every figure is fixed before work starts, so you can put it in front of the landlord and get a yes without a second conversation.
How the first month works
- 1
Send us the list
Addresses, licence renewal dates if you have them, and any inspection letters. A spreadsheet is fine.
- 2
We survey
Each property gets a short written report: what is fitted, what passes, what needs doing, with a fixed price against each item.
- 3
Landlord approves
Remedials are quoted per property so you can pass them to each landlord for sign-off. We do not start work you have not approved.
- 4
Onto the calendar
Every property goes onto one servicing schedule. We contact you before each visit is due and file the certificate the same day.
Questions management companies ask us
Not covered here? Call 020 8946 5567 and speak to an engineer.
What fire alarm does a licensed HMO in London need?
Most licensed HMOs need a Grade D, Category LD2 system under BS 5839 Part 6: mains-powered interlinked smoke alarms in the escape routes and living rooms, plus heat alarms in kitchens. Larger or higher-risk HMOs, typically five storeys or more or with more complex layouts, move to a Grade A panel system. The council's licensing conditions and the property's fire risk assessment decide which, and we confirm it at survey before quoting.
Can you certificate our properties before a licence application or renewal?
Yes, and it is the most common reason management companies come to us. Tell us the deadline and we will survey, carry out any remedial work the landlord approves, and issue the BS 5839-6 certificate ahead of it. If the property already has a suitable system we inspect and certificate it as it stands rather than replacing anything.
Can you put a whole portfolio on one servicing schedule?
Yes. We hold one calendar for every property you manage, contact you before each visit is due, and send one invoice a month rather than one per visit. Certificates are filed the same day in a consistent format so your team, your landlords and the licensing officer are all looking at the same document.
How do you handle tenants and access?
Our engineers work in occupied shared houses every week. Where you prefer, we book access directly with the tenants, keep visits short, use wireless Grade D systems where cabling would mean lifting floors in a furnished let, and treat key collection and lock-up as part of the job. You decide how much of the tenant contact you want to keep.
What does HMO fire safety compliance cost per property?
A Grade D LD2 system for a typical shared house is from £600 installed and certificated, depending on the number of storeys and rooms. Annual servicing is from £80 per property. Emergency lighting and extinguishers are quoted per property at survey. Every price is fixed before work starts so you can pass it to the landlord for approval without a second conversation.
Do you cover emergency lighting and extinguishers as well, or only alarms?
Both. Emergency lighting on escape routes with monthly function tests and an annual discharge test, and extinguishers and fire blankets supplied, sited and serviced to BS 5306. We do not fit fire doors, but our survey report flags anything a licensing officer is likely to raise so it can be dealt with before the inspection.
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BS 5839 servicing contracts on their own, certificated at every visit.
Read moreArrange a free survey of one property or the whole portfolio
Tell us about the building and we will call you back to book a free, no-obligation survey. You get a fixed written quote after every visit.
- Free survey, fixed price per property
- Certificates councils accept
- One calendar for the whole portfolio
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