HMO's in tenement buildings

[novascot]

What is the view on eg. a ground and three storey tenement building with the first and second floor flats deemed to be HMO's. Should the flats (two bedrooms in each) require a separate written assessment for each or would both be assessed and the findings shown on one FRA document?

My view is that because the flats are part of the same premises (within part walls) with the same postal address, one FRA document explaining the risks in all HMO's should be sufficient.

If the HMO's had been offices on different floors owned by the same company, would there be a problem with the recording of the findings on one document? No.

[Ken Taylor]

Is all the accommodation within the building under the control of one duty holder (eg local authority or housing asociation)?

[jokar]

Single private dwellings are exempt from the English and wales version of RR(FS)O and therefore only the common parts have to be subject to a Fire Risk assessment.  As a by the by statement, solicitors undertaking searches and other bits for buyers and sellers of flats are asking for copies of the said documents to enable people to buy or sell and if they are not avilable then there is a hold up for both parties.

[wee brian]

I guess that's a good thing

[novascot]

There are privately owned flats within the close. I completed the FRA for all HMO's and the common areas on one report, The F& RS are asking for a separate report for each flat.

[Nearlybaldandgrey]

I would expect to see a fire risk assessment for the common areas as that is the area the fire authority has jurisdiction in. The flats are to my knowledge classed as single private dwellings.

I'm sure I will be corrected if wrong!!!

[Pip]

There are privately owned flats within the close. I completed the FRA for all HMO's and the common areas on one report, The F& RS are asking for a separate report for each flat.

are they asking for the whole flat, or just want info about the part of the private premises bordering the common areas, to confirm fire resistance etc?

[Ken Taylor]

I asked about duty-holder control earlier as, perhaps some of the flats are in some form of residential care situation. If not, I can only see the FRA needing to address the issue of the fire safety of the occupants of the flats as may be affected by the common parts and maintaining their MoE.

[novascot]

The point of the original post is that some of the flats are deemed to be HMO's and require a licence, the others are privately owned or rented dwellings.
I had done the assessment on all the HMO's and common areas and had included all my findings in one report asd the HMO's were owned by the same company and in my opinion, part of the same premises. ie within the same party walls.

The F&RS are asking for individual reports for each of the HMO's. The report made comments and differentiated between each flat regarding requirements.

One report submitted, now they want three separate reports. Is this justifiable?

[Nearlybaldandgrey]

First, who has deemed them HMO's?

The requirements of the fire safety order apply to any place "by virtue of a licence" in which case then a risk assessment must be done.

As for the others, I'd ask the F&RS why they need separate reports.

[novascot]

Hello Baldyman,
I have already done that and was given the answer that if each HMO requires a licence (which they do. 3 or more persons from different families) then they need individual reports. Why? Don't know, just created alot more typing and wasted time.
 There will be no different comments in the individual reports than was in the one report covering all three HMO's.