An HMO, or House in Multiple Occupancy, is a building or part of a building (such as a flat) that is occupied by more than two persons living as more than one household. There are strict regulations for landlords operating HMOs to protect tenants from poor conditions. This includes ensuring the quality of the accommodation, that the landlord is suitable to manage an HMO, that there are not too many people living in an HMO and that high-risk HMOs are monitored. These regulations also include the provision of adequate fire precautions, including suitable and reliable fire detection.
Both the Housing Act 2004 and the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, dictate that a suitable and properly installed and maintained automatic fire detection and warning system must be present to alert occupants of a fire in its early stages to enable them to evacuate to safety.
The type of fire detection system required will depend on the individual property – small properties may only require a simple provision of smoke alarms, while larger properties will require greater coverage with more detectors and, in many cases, a more sophisticated solution which includes an integrated control panel and alarm sounders.
Failure to provide reliable detection that meets the regulations set out in the Housing Act 2004 and the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 can result in hefty fines and, in some cases, imprisonment.
Six Figure Fine for Fire Safety Failings
Late last year (2018) a landlord was fined £177,000 for fire safety failings in a HMO in Reading, Berkshire. Following a visit from the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS), the property was found to have no working fire alarm, a lack of secure fire doors and external escape routes in a poor state of repair. RBFRS’ priority is to ensure the safety of the people of Berkshire and has added ten additional fire safety inspecting officers in the last year.
It is not just the legal repercussions that are faced by landlords if they fail to comply with fire safety laws, but the lives and safety of the occupants. Therefore, it is imperative that suitable and reliable detection is installed.
Fire Detection Systems for Houses in Multiple Occupancy
There are a variety of fire detection systems available that can provide a suitable detection solution for houses in multiple occupancy. Eurofyre offers a range of fire detection systems to suit small to large size properties. All of the fire detection systems that Eurofyre manufacture are built using an open protocol, giving the owner the freedom to choose their own system installer and maintainer and, therefore, provide a reliable and cost-effective solution.
Domestic Smoke, Heat & CO Alarms (very small properties)
Honeywell X-Series smoke, heat and CO alarms provide a complete residential fire detection solution. Each device has a lifespan of at least seven years and provides reliable maintenance-free detection. This range of detectors can be wirelessly interconnected to provide increased warning and protection.
Analogue Addressable Fire Alarm Systems
Analogue addressable fire detection provides intelligent fire detection and can give status reports for each device connected to the system as well as the exact location of any faults, smoke, heat or fires. In particular, Eurofyre’s ProFyre A2 analogue addressable fire alarm systems are well suited to medium size HMOs that require less than two loops, eight zones and up to 256 devices.
2-Wire Addressable Fire Alarm Systems
2-wire addressable fire detection systems provide all the advantages of an addressable system, with the simplicity of a conventional system. Eurofyre’s ProFyre T8 2-wire addressable fire alarm system allows all devices to share power over just two wires and can accommodate up to 8 radial zones or one single loop – this makes the T8 the ideal solution for small to medium HMOs.
Wi-Fyre Hybrid Fire Detection
A Wi-Fyre hybrid fire detection solution allows for new or existing fire detection systems to be extended with wireless detection devices, manual call points and sounders. This means that existing fire detection systems can be brought up to speed with the latest regulations with very little disruption to the building’s occupants. This is particularly advantageous when time is of the essence or access is limited.
To find out more about any of our fire detection systems feel free to contact Eurofyre on +44 (0) 1329 835 024, by email to [email protected] or via the online enquiry form situated on our contact page.
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