Does my Airbnb need a fire risk assessment?
It is one of the most common questions we hear from people letting out property on platforms such as Airbnb, and the short answer, in almost every case, is yes. A surprising number of hosts assume that, because their holiday let looks and feels like an ordinary home, the domestic smoke alarms they would fit in any house are enough, and that fire safety law does not really apply to them. Several fire and rescue services, including Kent, have published guidance aimed specifically at correcting that assumption, and it has been a regular subject of discussion in the host community for some time.
The short answer
The main law governing fire safety in paying guest accommodation in England is the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, usually shortened to the Fire Safety Order. It applies whenever you charge someone to stay in your property and that property is not being occupied as a private dwelling, and the Home Office guidance is explicit that this holds true even where the booking is for a single night. The factors that point towards your premises being treated as paying guest accommodation, rather than a private home, include short and temporary stays, and guests who are not friends or family and with whom you do not share social activities. An Airbnb let to paying guests sits squarely within that description.
The key pointIf you charge guests to stay in a property that is not their private home, fire safety law treats it as paying guest accommodation, and a fire risk assessment is required, even for a single night's booking.
What changed, and why hosts are asking now
Much of the recent uncertainty stems from changes brought in by Section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022, which took effect in October 2023 and strengthened the Fire Safety Order. One practical consequence for hosts is that the responsible person must now record the findings of their fire risk assessment regardless of how many people they employ, where previously a written record was only required above a certain threshold. The Home Office has since updated its guidance for small paying guest accommodation to reflect these changes, which is part of the reason the question has been surfacing so often, both in the platforms' own host forums and in advice issued by individual fire services.
Are you the responsible person?
The Fire Safety Order places its duties on the responsible person, which in the context of a short-term let is usually the owner, although it can also be a letting agent or anyone else who has control of the premises. If that is you, the law requires you to carry out a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment and record what you find, to provide and maintain appropriate fire safety measures, to give guests clear information on what to do if a fire breaks out, and to keep the assessment under regular review. An annual review is usually sensible, along with a fresh look after any significant change to the property or following an incident.
What the assessment needs to cover
For the small, simple premises that most holiday lets fall into, the Home Office publishes an entry-level guide, "Making your small paying guest accommodation safe from fire", which sets out what a proportionate assessment looks like. That guide applies to England, and separate but broadly similar guidance applies in Wales, though the underlying duty to assess and manage fire risk runs through both. In broad terms, an assessment of this kind will consider:
- The common causes of fire in this type of property, such as electrical faults, cooking, heating, log burners and the careless disposal of smoking materials.
- The means of escape, so that guests who are unfamiliar with the layout can leave quickly and safely, by routes kept clear and through doors they can open without a key.
- Interlinked, mains-powered smoke and heat alarms covering the hall, living areas, bedrooms and kitchen, since guests asleep in an unfamiliar building need early warning.
- Fire doors and fire-resisting construction where the layout calls for it, particularly to protect the staircase and the route out.
- A clear fire action notice and a guest information pack, giving the property's full address and postcode and explaining what to do, including whether a block of flats operates a stay put or simultaneous evacuation policy.
- Compliance of furniture and furnishings with the relevant safety regulations, together with up-to-date electrical and gas safety checks.
Doing it yourself, or bringing in help
For a straightforward, low-risk property, a host who feels confident can often carry out the assessment themselves by working carefully through the Home Office guide. The picture changes once a property has features the entry-level guide does not cover, such as an open-plan ground floor, a bedroom that can only be reached through another room, premises sleeping more than ten guests, or a flat within a larger block where the building's own evacuation strategy comes into play, and in those situations the guidance itself recommends seeking advice from a competent fire risk assessor. It is worth remembering that, even where you engage someone else to carry out the assessment, the legal responsibility for acting on it remains with you.
How we can help
We carry out fire risk assessments for holiday lets, guest houses and other short-term guest accommodation across the North West, North Wales and the West Midlands, and we are glad to advise hosts on whether their property falls within the scope of the entry-level guidance or needs a more detailed assessment. Where the assessment identifies work that is needed, such as alarm upgrades or improvements to fire doors, we can set out clearly what is required and why, so that you can put it right and keep your guests safe.
Letting a property to paying guests?
If you let a holiday home or short-term let on Airbnb or another platform and you are unsure of your fire safety duties, we carry out fire risk assessments for guest accommodation across the North West, North Wales and the West Midlands. To discuss your property, please get in touch.
Get in touch Fire risk assessmentThis article is provided for general information and does not constitute legal advice or a fire risk assessment. It is based on the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 as amended by Section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022, and on Home Office guidance for small paying guest accommodation, which applies to England. Separate guidance applies in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Specific advice should be sought for your own property.