Signs are easy to overlook, but in an HMO full of tenants who may be new to the building, the right notice in the right place can be what gets someone out safely. HMO fire signage is part of your management duties, and councils check for it. If you let a shared house in Salisbury or elsewhere in Wiltshire, here is what is expected.
Why signage matters more in an HMO
In a family home, everyone knows the way out. In an HMO, tenants come and go, guests visit, and someone woken at night may be disoriented. Clear signage gives people who do not know the building the information they need at the moment they need it. It supports the protected escape route rather than replacing good design.
Fire action notices
A fire action notice tells occupants in plain steps what to do if they discover a fire or hear the alarm: raise the alarm, leave by the nearest exit, call 999, and go to the assembly point. Displaying these in shared areas is good practice and often expected as part of meeting the management regulations and your licence conditions.
Exit and escape route signs
Where the way out is not immediately obvious, exit signs and directional arrows mark the route to the final exit. In a small, simple HMO where the exit is in plain view, extensive signage may not be needed. In larger or more complex buildings, clear marking of the route becomes important. Your fire risk assessment should decide what is proportionate.
Do not over-sign a small house
There is a balance. Plastering a small two-storey share with industrial signage can confuse rather than help, and it is not what the risk-based LACORS approach asks for. The test is whether someone unfamiliar with the building could find their way out, not whether every wall carries a sign.
Other useful notices
Beyond the basics, simple notices help: keep fire doors closed reminders on self-closing fire doors, do not obstruct on the escape route, and instructions by any firefighting equipment. These reinforce the behaviours that keep the safety measures working between inspections.
Keep signs legible and lit
Signs need to be visible, including when the normal lighting fails, which is one reason emergency lighting and signage are considered together. Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service can advise on what your particular HMO needs.
Keeping signs visible in a fire
A sign only helps if it can be seen when it matters, which may be in the dark or through smoke. That is why signage and emergency lighting are considered together, and why photoluminescent or illuminated signs are used where the route could lose normal lighting. A clear exit sign that vanishes in a power cut is a sign that fails at the one moment it is needed.
Keep signs clean, unobstructed and at a sensible height, and check them as part of your regular building walk. Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service can advise on what your particular HMO needs, and the guiding test stays the same throughout: could someone who has never been in the building before find their way out under stress.
It also helps to tell tenants where to assemble once they are out, so people are not drawn back towards the building to look for others. A simple note of the assembly point in the tenant information, and on the fire action notice, closes the loop between leaving the building and staying safely clear of it.
Get your signage right
Not sure what signage your HMO should display? For advice tailored to your property from a competent professional, speak to Jamie at ESI: Fire Safety on 01276 300 351.
