London HMO Fire Door Requirements 2025: What Landlords Must Provide

HMO Fire Door Requirements in London: 2025 Update

Fire doors are one of the most frequently cited failures in London HMO licensing inspections. Getting them wrong exposes landlords to licence revocation, unlimited fines, and — in the worst case — criminal prosecution following a fire. This guide covers the current requirements and what compliance actually costs.

The Regulatory Basis

Fire door requirements in HMOs derive from several overlapping sources:

• The Housing Act 2004 and associated licensing conditions set by each London borough
• The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO) — applies to the common parts of HMOs with three or more storeys
• Building Regulations Approved Document B — sets out the technical specification that fire doors must meet
• BS 476 / EN 1634 — the testing standards that certify a door as fire-rated

FD30 vs FD60: What HMOs Need

FD30 (30-minute fire resistance) doors are the standard minimum for rooms in a typical London HMO. This means:

• All doors opening onto escape routes — hallways, landings, and stairwells — must be FD30S (the "S" denotes an intumescent strip and smoke seal)
• Kitchen doors must be FD30S due to the elevated ignition risk
• In buildings of four or more storeys, some boroughs require FD60 doors on specific compartment lines — confirm with your licensing authority

A standard internal door purchased from a DIY retailer is not a fire door. Fire doors are certified as a complete assembly: door leaf, frame, intumescent strips, smoke seals, hinges, and hardware. Replacing only the door leaf while retaining the original frame is non-compliant.

Self-Closing Devices

Every fire door in an HMO must be fitted with a CE-marked, overhead door closer that returns the door to the fully latched position from any open angle under its own power. The common failures inspectors find are:

• Door closers adjusted to too light a closing force, leaving the door ajar
• Hydraulic closers that have failed and no longer close from the full-open position
• Tenants disabling closers with wedges or hooks — landlords must address this promptly when identified
• Hold-open devices not linked to the fire alarm system (magnetic hold-open devices are permissible only when wired to release on alarm activation)

Inspection Frequency

There is no single prescribed inspection interval in legislation, but the FSO requires fire safety arrangements to be kept under review. Most London borough HMO licensing conditions specify that landlords must carry out a fire risk assessment annually and inspect fire safety equipment at appropriate intervals. In practice:

• Visual check of doors, closers, and seals at each tenancy change and every six months during a tenancy
• Full third-party fire risk assessment annually for larger HMOs (three or more storeys, five or more occupants)
• Document all inspections — an undocumented inspection is no inspection in enforcement terms

Cost of Compliance

In London, supply and installation of a compliant FD30S fire door assembly typically costs:

• Internal room door to corridor: £350–£600 per door, including certified frame, intumescent strips, smoke seals, closer, and fitting
• Kitchen door: £400–£650, as kitchen doors often require a wider clear opening
• Front door upgrade to FD30: £600–£1,200 depending on whether the frame needs replacement

A typical three-storey London HMO with six rooms might require eight to twelve fire doors, putting the total compliance cost at £3,000–£7,000. Spread this against the cost of an HMO licence (£500–£1,500 in most London boroughs) and the risk of revocation for a non-compliant property, and the investment is straightforward to justify.