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HMO fire alarm installers in Kent

Landlords and managing agents across Kent and East Sussex use us for fire alarms in HMOs, converted buildings and blocks of flats. We design to BS 5839-6:2019+A1:2020 or BS 5839-1:2025, as your fire risk assessment requires, install wired or wireless systems, and hand over the certificates your council’s housing team will ask for.

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Written by Ricky Shaw, Technical Director. Last reviewed 10 October 2026.

Illustration: a single-storey floor plan with a detector and a sounder in every room, a manual call point at each of the three final exits, the control panel by the main entrance, and the fire alarm operating: first the kitchen heat detector, then the corridor smoke detector EXITEXITEXIT OfficeOfficeKitchenStore ReceptionMeetingPlantCorridor CIE 1 2 1Fire: kitchen heat detector 2Spreading: corridor Smoke detector HHeat detector Call point Sounder EXITFinal exit CIE = control panel
BAFE SP203-1
Registered No. 303674
Modules
Design, Installation, Commission, Maintenance
Certification body
NSI (Fire Silver)
Designed to
BS 5839-1:2025
Google reviews
120+ five-star
What fire alarm does an HMO need?

It depends on the building and its fire risk assessment, and your council has the final say. As a guide, smaller HMOs often need a Grade D1 system to Category LD2, while larger HMOs, often those of three or more storeys, need a panel-based Grade A system.

Many councils still base their HMO standards on the LACORS housing fire safety guidance, translated into the current grades of BS 5839-6.

BS 5839-6 grades

BS 5839-6 grades
GradeWhat it is
AA control panel with detectors and sounders, designed to BS 5839-1
CDetectors and sounders on a common power supply with central control
D1Mains-powered alarms with a tamper-proof standby battery
D2Mains-powered alarms with a user-replaceable standby battery
F1 and F2Battery-only alarms (tamper-proof or user-replaceable)

BS 5839-6 categories

BS 5839-6 categories
CategoryWhere the detection goes
LD1Escape routes and every room where a fire could start
LD2Escape routes plus specified higher-risk rooms, such as kitchens and living rooms
LD3Escape routes only
PD1 and PD2Property protection, throughout or in specified rooms

Blocks of flats

Whether a block needs a communal fire alarm depends on its fire strategy. Purpose-built blocks with a “stay put” strategy often have no communal alarm, while converted buildings commonly need one. Your fire risk assessment decides.

In residential buildings at least 18 metres or seven storeys tall, the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 require monthly checks of firefighting equipment, including fire detection and alarm and evacuation alert systems, and faults not fixed within 24 hours must be reported to the fire and rescue service.

Working with your council

HMO licensing is run by your district council, and its private sector housing team sets fire safety conditions on licences. Send us the conditions and we’ll design to them.

How much does an HMO fire alarm cost?

In short

A wireless Ajax fire alarm for an HMO with three flats starts from £3,500 + VAT (£4,200 inc. VAT), and maintenance from £120 + VAT per visit (£144 inc. VAT). We give you a fixed price after a free survey.

What affects the price

  • The number of storeys, flats and rooms
  • The grade and category your fire risk assessment and licence conditions call for
  • Wireless or wired, and whether the rooms are occupied
  • Communal areas as well as the flats or bedrooms
  • Emergency lighting, where your HMO needs it

Wireless fire alarms for HMOs

With Ajax EN54 there’s no chasing walls or long cable runs through tenants’ rooms, so a system can go in with tenants in place or between tenancies. The Ajax EN54 Fire Hub is certified to EN 54-2 and EN 54-4, so the system can be designed as a Grade A system to BS 5839-6, and with FireFind you and your agent can see which detector has operated. Ajax wireless fire alarms.

Starting prices

Wireless Ajax fire alarm for an HMO with three flats
from £3,500 + VAT (£4,200 inc. VAT)
Fire alarm maintenance contract
from £120 + VAT per visit (£144 inc. VAT)

Every job gets a clear, fixed price after a free site survey.

Book a free survey

All our prices

What we do for landlords and agents

  • Survey and advice based on your fire risk assessment and licence conditions
  • Grade A panel systems and Grade D1 interlinked alarm systems
  • Communal systems for converted buildings and blocks
  • Certificates for licence applications and inspections
  • Servicing, testing and repairs, with access arranged around tenants
  • Emergency lighting where your HMO needs it

HMO fire alarm installers across Kent and East Sussex

From our base at Shearway Business Park in Folkestone we cover the whole of Kent, and the east of East Sussex around Rye, Hastings and Bexhill. Approximate drive times:

All the areas we cover

Questions from landlords

Do I need a fire alarm in an ordinary rented house?

At the very least, landlords in England must fit a smoke alarm on every storey used as living accommodation, and a carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a fixed combustion appliance (not including gas cookers), under the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022. HMOs, your council or your fire risk assessment may require more.

What system does a small HMO usually need?

Often a Grade D1 system to Category LD2: mains-powered, interlinked smoke and heat alarms with tamper-proof standby batteries, in the escape route and higher-risk rooms. Your council and fire risk assessment have the final say.

When is a panel-based Grade A system needed?

Usually in larger HMOs, often those of three or more storeys, and in some converted buildings. A Grade A system is designed and installed much like a commercial system, with a control panel, and is serviced about every six months.

Can you work around our tenants?

Yes. We arrange access with you or your agent, keep disruption to a minimum and leave rooms clean.

How much does an HMO fire alarm cost?

A wireless Ajax fire alarm for an HMO with three flats starts from £3,500 + VAT (£4,200 inc. VAT), and maintenance from £120 + VAT per visit (£144 inc. VAT). The price for your property depends on its size, the grade and category it needs and your licence conditions; we give you a fixed price after a free survey.

How often should fire alarms in an HMO be tested?

For a panel-based Grade A system: a weekly test, operating a different call point or test point each time and recording it, and inspection and servicing by a competent person about every six months. Mains-powered Grade D smoke and heat alarms should be tested at least monthly by pressing the test button. Your licence conditions may ask for more.

Does my HMO need a licence?

In England, an HMO with five or more people forming two or more households needs a mandatory licence from the council. Councils can also run additional licensing for smaller HMOs, so check with yours. The licence conditions usually set out the fire alarm the council expects.

Who has to keep the fire alarm working in an HMO?

The manager, usually the landlord or managing agent. The Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (England) Regulations 2006 require fire alarms to be maintained in good working order, and the Fire Safety Order applies to the common parts.

Sources

This information is general guidance, not advice for any particular building, and standards and guidance change. Get advice from a competent person for your premises. See our website terms and disclaimer.

Get a quote for your HMO or block

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Or talk to us

Call the office and you’ll speak to someone who knows fire alarms. We’re at Shearway Business Park in Folkestone.