Fire Risk Assessments and Fire Door Surveys for HMOs in Middlesbrough and Teesside
If you own, manage or let property in Middlesbrough or the wider Teesside area, a current fire risk assessment is not optional paperwork. For Houses in Multiple Occupation, converted flats and other multi-occupied buildings it is a legal duty, a licensing requirement, and one of the first documents Middlesbrough Council, neighbouring housing teams or Cleveland Fire Brigade will ask to see.
Staines Safety Services provides fire risk assessments in Middlesbrough and fire door surveys for landlords, freeholders, managing agents and estate agencies across Teesside. Our head office is in Skelton-in-Cleveland. Our assessors hold the ProQual Level 5 Diploma in Fire Risk Assessment and work to the Advanced competence level set out in BS 8674:2025, the British Standard framework for individual fire risk assessors.
That combination matters on Teesside. Many local HMOs are older terraces and conversions around Linthorpe, Newport, Ayresome, Gresham, the university quarter, Borough Road and the town centre. Shared kitchens, sleeping rooms opening onto escape routes, student and professional occupancy, and mixed-use buildings over shops all raise the risk profile. Advanced-level competence is the level aligned with complex and higher-risk residential premises, not just small offices or shops.
Why landlords and agents in Middlesbrough and Teesside need a fire risk assessment
Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the responsible person must assess fire risks in the common parts of HMOs, blocks of flats and other multi-occupied residential buildings, then put suitable precautions in place and keep the assessment under review. Since October 2023 the findings must be recorded in writing.In practice, that responsible person is usually:
- the landlord or property owner
- the managing agent
- the freeholder or Right to Manage company
- an estate agency that has taken on management duties
Middlesbrough adds a local layer. An HMO occupied by five or more people from two or more households who share amenities needs a mandatory HMO licence. The council expects suitable fire precautions and a proper means of escape, and it publishes a guide to fire safety in HMOs. Smaller HMOs with three or four occupiers may not need a mandatory HMO licence, but they still have to meet amenity and fire safety standards. In designated selective licensing areas, those smaller HMOs can also need a selective landlord licence
Middlesbrough Council also asks landlords to make Cleveland Fire Brigade aware of HMOs by emailing fireengineeringhelpdesk@clevelandfire.gov.uk (mailto:fireengineeringhelpdesk@clevelandfire.gov.uk). That is a local expectation, not a substitute for a competent written assessment. Cleveland Fire Brigade is clear that the Fire Safety Order applies to the common areas of HMOs and places duties on the landlord, managing agent or other responsible person to assess fire risk and take adequate measures. Enforcement action on Teesside has included notices where the fire risk assessment itself was missing or inadequate. The same dual system applies across the rest of Teesside:
- Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council publishes HMO fire safety guidance with Cleveland Fire Brigade and strongly advises a written assessment for all relevant properties.
- Redcar and Cleveland requires licensed HMOs to keep fire safety documentation valid while the property is let.
- Hartlepool applies the same national mandatory licensing rules for five or more occupiers.
The Fire Safety Act 2021 also confirmed that assessments of multi-occupied residential buildings must consider structure, external walls and flat entrance doors opening onto common parts, not just the corridor itself.For estate agents and portfolio managers the commercial point is simple.
An outdated or generic report can delay an HMO licence, trigger enforcement, affect insurance and leave you exposed if something goes wrong. A competent HMO fire risk assessment in Middlesbrough is cheaper than a prohibition notice, a licence review or a claim.
Competence you can evidence: ProQual Level 5 and BS 8674 Advanced
Anyone can call themselves a fire risk assessor. Responsible persons on Teesside cannot afford that risk.BS 8674:2025 sets three levels of competence for individual fire risk assessors: Foundation, Intermediate and Advanced. Advanced is the highest level. It is intended for assessors working on complex, higher-risk and multi-occupied buildings, including larger residential premises and buildings where professional judgement goes beyond a simple checklist.
The ProQual Level 5 Diploma in Fire Risk Assessment is an Ofqual-regulated qualification mapped to that Advanced stage. It covers fire risk assessment of high-risk buildings, management of fire risk in those buildings, advanced assessment practice and professional development as an advanced assessor.That is the standard our assessors work to. For landlords and agents it means:
- the person on site is trained for HMO and multi-occupied residential work, not only low-risk commercial units
- reports are written to stand up to council licensing officers and Cleveland Fire Brigade scrutiny
- recommendations are proportionate — not under-specified, and not a shopping list of unnecessary works
- you can show due diligence when choosing a competent person
How we assess HMOs and rental property across Teesside
Housing fire risk assessments should now follow BS 9792:2025, the current British Standard for fire risk assessment in housing. It applies to HMOs, blocks of flats and maisonettes, specialised housing and student accommodation, and it replaced PAS 79-2 as the recommended methodology.A typical Staines Safety Services fire risk assessment in Middlesbrough covers:
- Building use and occupancy — shared house, bedsits, converted flats, student HMO, mixed-use over a shop, or a small block.
- People at risk — including sleeping occupants, visitors and anyone who may need extra support to evacuate.
- Ignition and fuel sources — cooking, portable heaters, overloaded sockets, stored belongings in hallways, furniture and refuse.
- Means of escape — travel distances, dead ends, locks, lighting, signage and whether bedrooms discharge into unprotected risk rooms.
- Compartmentation and fire doors — walls, ceilings, loft hatches, service penetrations and door condition.
- Detection and warning — Grade A or Grade D systems, coverage of kitchens, landings and bedrooms, interlinking and maintenance records.
- Management — licence conditions, testing logs, tenant information, contractors and previous reports.
Middlesbrough’s own HMO fire safety guide still points landlords to LACORS-style benchmarks for Category A bedsits and Category B shared houses: protected routes, FD30 or FD30S doors where the risk requires them, LD2 detection as a typical baseline, fire blankets in kitchens, and emergency lighting on longer or more complex routes. Our reports translate that into a property-specific action plan rather than a generic checklist.
You receive a clear written report with photographs, a risk rating and a prioritised action plan. The aim is a document your licensing officer can use, your insurer can understand, and your maintenance team can work from.
Fire door surveys: the gap most HMO reports leave open
Fire doors are often the weakest part of an otherwise acceptable Teesside HMO. A disconnected self-closer, a letterplate that leaks smoke, excessive gaps, missing intumescent strips or a cheap replacement door can undermine the whole escape strategy.
Local guidance expects fire-resisting doors to risk rooms on protected routes in many licensed HMOs, with self-closers, intumescent strips and locks that can be opened from inside without a key. BS 8214 remains the reference for fire-resisting and smoke-control doors.
The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 also impose extra door duties in multi-occupied residential buildings. In buildings with a top storey over 11 metres, responsible persons must check communal fire doors at least every three months and use best endeavours to check flat entrance doors at least annually. In every multi-occupied residential building, residents must be given information about the importance of fire doors.
Official fire door guidance explains those routine checks. A professional fire door survey in Middlesbrough goes further: it records each door as an asset, photographs defects, checks leaves, frames, hinges, seals, glazing, closers and ironmongery, and tells you what must be repaired, upgraded or replaced.
We combine fire risk assessments and fire door surveys on the same visit where that helps landlords and agents keep one compliance diary for a portfolio.
Fire doors are often the weakest part of an otherwise acceptable Teesside HMO. A disconnected self-closer, a letterplate that leaks smoke, excessive gaps, missing intumescent strips or a cheap replacement door can undermine the whole escape strategy.
Local guidance expects fire-resisting doors to risk rooms on protected routes in many licensed HMOs, with self-closers, intumescent strips and locks that can be opened from inside without a key. BS 8214 remains the reference for fire-resisting and smoke-control doors.
The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 also impose extra door duties in multi-occupied residential buildings. In buildings with a top storey over 11 metres, responsible persons must check communal fire doors at least every three months and use best endeavours to check flat entrance doors at least annually. In every multi-occupied residential building, residents must be given information about the importance of fire doors.
Official fire door guidance explains those routine checks. A professional fire door survey in Middlesbrough goes further: it records each door as an asset, photographs defects, checks leaves, frames, hinges, seals, glazing, closers and ironmongery, and tells you what must be repaired, upgraded or replaced.
We combine fire risk assessments and fire door surveys on the same visit where that helps landlords and agents keep one compliance diary for a portfolio.
Who this service is for?
Landlords and property owners
Use us for new HMO licence applications, licence renewals, purchase surveys, post-refurbishment reviews and annual compliance.
Estate agents and managing agents
Use us where you act as responsible person, need consistent reports across a client portfolio, or need documentation that will satisfy officers in Middlesbrough, Stockton, Redcar and Cleveland or Hartlepool.
Freeholders and block managers
Use us for common parts assessments, flat entrance door sampling and planned fire door programmes.
A single private dwelling let to one household sits outside the Fire Safety Order, but HMOs, shared houses, converted buildings and the common parts of flats do not. If you are unsure which side of the line a property sits on, we will tell you before you instruct us.
Areas we cover?
From our Teesside base in Skelton-in-Cleveland we cover:
Middlesbrough town centre, Linthorpe, Acklam, Marton, Nunthorpe, Coulby Newham, Newport, Gresham, Ayresome, Grove Hill, North Ormesby, Thorntree, Berwick Hills and the university area.We also cover the wider Teesside and East Cleveland market: Stockton-on-Tees, Thornaby, Billingham, Ingleby Barwick, Yarm, Norton, Redcar, Eston, South Bank, Grangetown, Guisborough, Saltburn, Skelton, Brotton, Loftus, Marske, New Marske and Hartlepool.
What you get from Staines Safety Services
- Assessors holding the ProQual Level 5 Diploma in Fire Risk Assessment
- Practice aligned to the Advanced stage of BS 8674:2025
- Housing assessments structured around BS 9792:2025
- Fire door surveys suitable for HMO licensing and ongoing management
- Practical recommendations, not generic copy-and-paste reports
- Local knowledge of Middlesbrough HMO licensing, Cleveland Fire Brigade expectations and typical Teesside terrace conversions
- Fast quotations and clear communication with owners and agents
Call 01287 659429 or 07885 982 771, or email info@stainessafetyservices.co.uk.
You can also visit stainessafetyservices.co.uk.
If you need a fire risk assessment in Middlesbrough or anywhere on Teesside this month — for one HMO or a full agency portfolio — we will confirm scope, attend site and issue a report you can put in front of a licensing officer with confidence.
Frequently asked questions
Do all Middlesbrough HMOs need a fire risk assessment?
Yes if the property is an HMO or has common parts used by more than one household. Licensed HMOs are also expected to evidence suitable fire precautions. Middlesbrough Council still expects smaller HMOs to meet fire safety standards even when they fall below the five-person mandatory licensing threshold.
Do I also need to tell the fire service?
Middlesbrough Council asks landlords to notify Cleveland Fire Brigade of HMOs at fireengineeringhelpdesk@clevelandfire.gov.uk. That does not replace your duty to have a suitable and sufficient written fire risk assessment.
How often should the assessment be reviewed?
Review it regularly and whenever the building, occupancy or layout changes — for example after conversion works, a change from shared house to bedsits, or a significant increase in occupant numbers. An annual review is good practice for most rented HMOs.
Is a Level 5 assessor necessary for a small shared house?
Not every small property is high-risk in the BS 8674 sense. The value of an Advanced-level assessor is judgement: they know when a simple arrangement is acceptable and when a terrace conversion needs more robust separation, detection or door upgrades.
Can you inspect fire doors at the same time?
Yes. Combining the two visits is usually the most efficient option for landlords and agents.
Will the report be accepted for an HMO licence?
Our reports are written for responsible persons and local-authority scrutiny, aligned with current housing fire risk assessment practice and Teesside fire safety guidance. We cannot guarantee the outcome of a council inspection, because licensing also depends on room sizes, amenities and management, but we design the fire safety document to support that process.
Book a fire risk assessment or fire door survey in Middlesbrough and Teesside
Staines Safety Services, 28 Rosthwaite Drive, Skelton-in-Cleveland, Saltburn-by-the-Sea, TS12 2WJ.
01287 659429 | 07885 982 771 | info@stainessafetyservices.co.uk | www.stainessafetyservices.co.uk