It is one of the less obvious traps in holiday accommodation, and it catches owners out regularly. Inner room fire safety is about a specific layout that can leave guests cut off in a fire, and understanding it could save a life in your Berkshire let.
What inner room fire safety actually means
The Home Office guidance defines an inner room as a room whose only escape route is through another room, known as the access room. The classic example is a bedroom you can only reach by walking through a lounge. If a fire starts in that lounge, the guest in the bedroom is trapped, with no independent way out.
The All-Wales guidance adds that occupants must not have to pass through more than one access room to escape, and that this situation often arises with open-plan layouts where rooms flow into one another.
Why it is dangerous
The risk is simple but serious: a fire in the access room can block the only way out of the inner room before the occupant even wakes. A guest who does not know the property cannot improvise an alternative, which is why inner room fire safety is treated as a priority and why the arrangement should be avoided wherever possible.
When an inner room is acceptable
The guidance does allow inner rooms in limited cases. It is acceptable where the inner room is a kitchen, laundry or utility room, bathroom, WC or shower room, and steps have been taken to reduce the risk. These are rooms people do not sleep in, so the danger is far lower. The problem is sleeping accommodation.
The rule on bedrooms
Inner rooms should not be used for sleeping unless they are on the ground floor and have direct access to a door or an escape window the guest can use to reach safety. Even then, escape windows must be easily accessed and large enough for an able-bodied person, and the guidance says mobility-impaired guests should not be placed in rooms relying on escape windows. Critically, escape windows on the first floor are not considered safe for paying guests, who do not know the layout.
What to do if you have one
If your property has a first-floor inner bedroom you cannot reconfigure, the guidance says you should seek advice from a competent fire safety professional about additional measures. Open-plan layouts may need extra detection, such as a multi-sensor detector and smoke detection in the access room, to give earlier warning. This is firmly in professional assessor territory, and a reason your property may fall outside the simple DIY assessment route.
Record and check
Record the layout and the measures you have taken in your fire risk assessment, and revisit it whenever you change how rooms are used. Ask Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service or a professional if you are unsure whether a room counts as an inner room.
Making an inner room safe
The danger with an inner room is that a fire in the access room can trap whoever is in the inner space before they know anything is wrong. The usual fix is to put detection in the access room, so the alarm sounds early, and ideally to provide a second means of escape such as a suitable window. The Home Office guidance treats inner rooms as a specific risk in sleeping accommodation. If a let has bedrooms reached only through a living room or kitchen, flag it in your assessment and consider whether the layout is suitable for the guests you accept. Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service can advise on borderline cases.
Get the right advice for your property
Worried a room in your property might be an inner room? For advice tailored to your property from a competent professional, speak to Jamie at ESI: Fire Safety on 01276 300 351.
