Fire safety for self-catering holiday lets
Self-catering holiday properties are covered by the Fire Safety Order.
This guide will help you reduce fire risk and help keep your guests and your property safe from fire.
We also recommend the following Government booklets.
- Do you have paying guests? – for small premises (similar in size to a family home)
- Fire Safety Risk Assessment – sleeping accommodation guide for larger premises.
Fire safety law for holiday properties
Fire safety law applies if anyone pays to stay in your property, other than to live there as a permanent home.
Any flat, house, cottage, out-house, caravan (or other space) you rent out to others on a short-term arrangement or for a holiday is covered under the Fire Safety Order.
The Fire Safety Order makes you responsible for taking steps to protect all relevant people using your premises from the risk of fire.
Your responsibilities
- You must carry out a fire risk assessment and act on the results. This will identify the fire safety measures that you need to have in place to keep people safe from fire.
- Review your risk assessment regularly and whenever there has been a significant change that could impact it, such as if you add another guest bedroom, or change the layout of the property. We recommend you review your risk assessment at least annually.
- Make sure equipment is regularly serviced and periodic testing or inspections take place. This includes: fire alarm systems, gas appliances, electrical appliances, and any emergency lighting systems which can be used should the mains lights fail (as identified in the fire risk assessment).
- We recommend you keep a record of all testing and maintenance.
It is a legal requirement to comply with fire safety law. If you do not meet your requirements then this may lead to enforcement action, prosecution, fines or imprisonment. Find out about our fire safety inspections on holiday properties.
Fire safety risk assessments for holiday lets
We strongly recommend the fire risk assessment is carried out by someone with an appropriate level of knowledge and understanding of fire safety. We cannot carry out a fire risk assessment for you but see our guide on how to find a risk assessor.
In small premises (typically ground and first floor) with a simple layout - you may feel able to carry out the risk assessment yourself.
Follow our five steps to fire safety risk assessment which will help guide you through the process and what you need to do.
Further guidance
Fire safety guidance
- Small premises - the government guidance in the 'Do you have paying guests?' booklet should be enough.
- Larger premises - the fire safety provisions will need to be more comprehensive. The guidance contained in the ‘Fire Safety Risk Assessment - sleeping accommodation’ guide may be more appropriate.
Risk assessments
- If you do not feel confident to carry out the fire risk assessment you may appoint someone to do it for you. Follow the guidance given on our find a risk assessor page.