Fire Safety Enforcement in Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs)
Course Overview
This course is for new and experienced enforcement professionals who work in cross‑agency environments and deal with shared or multi‑occupied housing where housing and fire safety regimes cross paths. It focuses on investigations in the specific context of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs), showing how housing and fire safety frameworks operate together in practice under the Housing Act 2004, the Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (England) Regulations 2006, and the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, alongside other relevant primary and subordinate legislations.
You will develop a clear understanding of how to approach investigations in HMOs, with a focus on how housing and fire safety regimes interact in real cases. Through case studies, you will learn to navigate overlapping frameworks, apply key fire‑safety benchmarks (including LACORS guidance, HHSRS Operating Guidance and Worked Examples, amongst other statutory and non-statutory industry recognised documents), obtain supporting evidence from professional witnesses, and plan and carry out fire‑safety‑focused investigations in housing health and safety cases that can withstand legal and technical scrutiny.
The course also helps you decide which regime should be used to enforce particular duties where housing and fire safety responsibilities overlap, so you can act decisively and lawfully in a way that supports safer homes, clearer accountability and effective joint working between housing authorities and fire and rescue services.
Course details
Duration: 1 Day
Audience: New | Experienced Investigators
CPD: 6 hrs
Delivery: Virtual | face-to-face
(in-house)
Fees: £275 pp | One-Day Course Prices
Course Code: 25INVHMO
Additional Focus
This course explains how overlapping housing and fire safety regimes operate in HMOs, helping deepen understanding in both sectors and clarify where each framework starts, ends and interacts in practice. From the first session the training is intense but practical, with a strong focus on real‑world inspection work, gathering and testing evidence, and using intelligence to inform proportionate, defensible enforcement decisions.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
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Define the main legal regimes applicable to HMOs in line with current legislative criteria, including the Housing Act 2004, HMO Management Regulations and the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, amongst others.
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Recognise how fire safety duties and potential criminal liability arise under housing and fire safety legislation in the HMO context.
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Identify applicable fire safety guidance and frameworks for hazard and risk assessment (for example LACORS and HHSRS Operating Guidance) and understand how these can support professional witness statements and reports.
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Assess and address fire risks in HMOs using recognised approaches and translate findings into defensible inspection records and case files.
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Distinguish between relevant housing licensing schemes and explain how these influence fire safety and management requirements in different types of HMO.
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Outline key enforcement powers available under housing and fire safety primary and secondary legislation and explain how they can be coordinated between agencies.
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Work collaboratively with other agencies to improve fire safety and resident protection in HMOs, including sharing intelligence lawfully and proportionately.
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Recognise how awareness of resident needs and vulnerabilities can support equality duties, improve cooperation and inform proportionate enforcement decisions.