Fire safety for Airbnb and small guest accommodation: what hosts need to know under the latest UK rules

Fire safety law isn’t just for hotels and larger operators; if you accept paying guests – whether that’s a spare room on Airbnb, a small B&B, or a holiday cottage – then it applies to you, too.

In England, two things now sit at the heart of fire safety guidance for small paying guest accommodation:

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (as amended)^[1], which sets out your legal duties as the “responsible person”, and
The government guide “Making your small paying guest accommodation safe from fire”^[2], which explains what compliance looks like in practice for small, simple properties This post translates those documents into a practical, step-by-step guide, with a particular focus on the kitchen – the most common starting point for fires.

Who this guide is for

This article is aimed at hosts and owners in England with small, simple guest accommodation – for example:

A holiday let similar in size to a normal family home
A small B&B or guest house with a handful of rooms
Annexes, studios, barns, and similar outbuildings
Glamping pods, holiday caravans, shepherds’ huts, cabins, and similar units with straightforward layouts If your premises are larger, more complex, or have higher-risk activities, you may need to follow the separate “Fire safety risk assessment: sleeping accommodation guide” and seek competent professional advice.

This article is an overview, and should not be taken as legal advice. If you are unsure about your situation, you should speak to your local fire and rescue service or a competent fire risk assessor.

We’ll look at the following areas:

The legal framework in plain English

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety Order) – your duties

The Fire Safety Order (FSO) is the main piece of legislation covering non-domestic premises in England, including most small paying guest accommodation.

Under it, there must be a “responsible person”. In small holiday lets and B&Bs, that’s usually:

The owner, or
The person who has control of the premises in connection with their business (for example, a long-term leaseholder or managing agent) The responsible person must, so far as is reasonably practicable:
Take general fire precautions to ensure the safety of people on the premises
Carry out a fire risk assessment
Put appropriate fire safety measures in place and maintain them
Provide information and instructions to anyone who may be affected – including guests, staff and contractors Recent changes linked to the Building Safety Act^[3] tighten expectations around recording what you have done, even in small businesses.

The Home Office guide for small paying guest accommodation

The official guide “Making your small paying guest accommodation safe from fire” is written specifically for two types of accommodation:

“single premises of ground floor, or ground and first floor, providing sleeping accommodation for a maximum of 10 persons, with no more than four bedrooms on the first floor, such as houses, cottages, and chalets”
“Individual flats (whether within a purpose-built block of flats or a house that has been converted into flats), other than unusually large flats (e.g. as often found in mansion blocks in London)” So, if your accommodation falls into one of those two categories, then the guide applies to you, as long as your property has:
Simple layouts (each room has a clear path to a fire exit without going through another room)
A small number of guest bedrooms (no more than four on the first floor of the property)
Modest levels of fire risk The guide explains:
How to carry out a fire risk assessment
What reasonable fire safety measures look like in such properties
How the law applies to typical small Airbnb-style lets, small B&Bs, and similar For many hosts, this guide – alongside your own written fire risk assessment – will be the main reference point you need.

When you should use the “sleeping accommodation” guide instead

The small-premises guide is not suitable for every situation. You will usually need the more detailed Fire safety risk assessment: sleeping accommodation guide^[4], and often professional help, if for example:

You have more than 10 guests at a time (e.g. a hostel or large guest house)
You have a two-storey property with an open plan ground floor or a flat with a bedroom accessed only through another room
The building has a complex layout, or multiple storeys with long escape routes
There are significant additional risks (for example, a bar or restaurant on the ground floor, or industrial activities nearby)
The premises are in a mixed-use building with other commercial occupiers If you are unsure which guide fits your property, then please seek advice from an appropriately qualified professional.

Does this guidance apply to my property?

In practice, the small-premises guide will be relevant to many of the settings most people think of when they hear “Airbnb” or “holiday let”, such as:

A terraced or semi-detached house used as a short-term holiday rental
A self-contained flat or annex let to paying guests
A small B&B where the owner lives on site
A cluster of small glamping units, cabins or shepherds’ huts, each with basic kitchen facilities and a simple escape route Not sure? Here’s a quick self-check:
Do guests pay to stay, even just occasionally?
Is the layout simple, with limited fire hazards?
Are there only a small number of guest bedrooms?
Are you operating in England? If the answer to these questions is mostly “yes”, the small-premises guide is probably intended for you. If not – or, if you are not confident – treat that as a risk in itself and get competent advice.

Step 1 – Carry out (and record) a fire risk assessment

The starting point for compliance is a fire risk assessment. This is a structured look at:

What could cause a fire
Who could be harmed and how
What you have already done to reduce the risk
What more you need to do The government guidance states that you can perform the fire risk assessment yourself, so long as you feel that you can competently “interpret and apply the guidance and recommendations to your property.”

Given the critical nature of fire safety and the mandatory legal requirement to carry out a “suitable and sufficient” fire risk assessment, our recommendation is to find a suitably qualified, experienced professional. The National Fire Chiefs Council publishes their own guidance on finding a fire risk assessor.^[5]

Here’s an overview of the fire risk assessment process to help you understand the requirements:

Fire risk assessment in five simple steps

1. Identify fire hazards

Sources of ignition: cooking appliances, heaters, open fires, electrical installations and appliances, smoking materials, candles
Sources of fuel: furniture, soft furnishings, bedding, curtains, wooden linings, packaging, clutter
Oxygen: usually the normal air supply, but consider any additional sources (e.g. oxygen cylinders)

2. Identify people at risk

Guests (including children, older adults, and people who may have disabilities or be unfamiliar with the building)
Anyone working on site (cleaners, maintenance)
Neighbours, if your building forms part of a larger structure

3. Evaluate the risks and decide on precautions

How likely is it that a fire could start?
How quickly could it spread?
How easy would it be for people to become aware of the fire and escape safely?
What can you do to remove hazards, and where that isn’t possible, to reduce or control them?

4. Record your findings and actions

For small paying guest accommodation, a written record is now expected, even if you have no employees
Keep the format simple: a few pages or a table with hazards, people at risk, controls in place and actions required

5. Review and update regularly

Review at least once a year
Also review if you change the layout, add new appliances, or after any incident, near miss, or guest complaint related to fire safety The key change for many small hosts is the expectation of a documented risk assessment and better record-keeping; it’s no longer enough to say “it’s all in my head”.

It’s worth noting that section 8 of Making your small paying guest accommodation safe from fire contains a comprehensive fire risk assessment for you to follow

Step 2 – Get the basics right: alarms, escape routes and guest information

Once you have your risk assessment, the next step is to ensure that fundamental controls are in place and properly maintained.

Fire detection and warning

In most small premises, you will need:

Smoke alarms on each level, including on escape routes
Heat detection in the kitchen, where appropriate
Alarms that are interlinked, so that if one sounds, they all do
Devices installed in suitable locations and maintained according to the manufacturer’s instructions Make sure that you:
Test alarms regularly (for example, once a week when you or a cleaner are on site)
Record tests and any maintenance or replacement in a simple log

Escape routes and fire doors

Guests must be able to escape:

Quickly and safely, even at night
Without specialist knowledge of the building
Without needing keys or codes to open doors on their way out You should check that:
Exit doors and corridors are kept clear of furniture and storage
Doors on escape routes open easily and are not locked in a way that could trap someone
Any doors that are intended to contain fire (fire doors) are in good condition, close effectively and are not wedged open If you use door retainers, or similar hold-open devices, they must be designed and installed so that they release upon alarm and allow the door to close fully.

Information for guests

Guests need clear, simple information that they will notice, understand, and comply with, even if they only skim through your welcome pack.

Good practice includes:

A brief fire action notice in each bedroom or near exits, stating:

How to raise the alarm
The escape route(s)
That guests should leave the building and not re-enter

Clear instructions in the house manual or digital welcome pack about:

What to do if the alarm sounds
Any particular risks (for example, a solid-fuel stove)
House rules on smoking, candles, barbecues and similar The message should be consistent: guests are expected to evacuate, not fight fires themselves.

Step 3 – Managing the highest-risk area: the kitchen

Why kitchens matter so much

In both domestic homes and guest accommodation, cooking appliances are the leading source of ignition for accidental dwelling fires in England — accounting for 44% of all such fires in the year ending March 2025^[6] — and fires often start when:

Cooking is left unattended
Oil or fat overheats
Guests are unfamiliar with the cooker controls
Cooking takes place late at night, sometimes after alcohol Short-term lets have additional challenges:
Guests may treat the space less carefully than their own homes
Hosts may not live on site or nearby
Turnaround between stays can be tight, leaving little time to spot emerging hazards Your fire risk assessment should therefore treat the kitchen as a priority area.

Practical controls every host should consider

Examples of proportionate measures include:

1. Layout and design

Avoid storing items such as tea towels, cookbooks, or baskets above or immediately beside the hob
Ensure there’s good lighting around the hob so guests can see controls clearly

2. Appliances and equipment

Provide stable pans and avoid old, damaged cookware
Remove portable gas cooking equipment unless your risk assessment supports its safe use
Ensure electrical installations and appliances are inspected and maintained at appropriate intervals

3. Policies and guest information

Clear house rules about: Not leaving cooking unattended Not deep-frying with large quantities of oil Prohibiting candles or open flames where appropriate
Not leaving cooking unattended
Not deep-frying with large quantities of oil
Prohibiting candles or open flames where appropriate
Simple step-by-step instructions on how to use the hob, oven and any solid-fuel appliances safely

Where proactive fire-prevention technology fits in

Alongside good layout, equipment and guest information, there’s a growing role for engineering controls that can prevent a cooking fire from starting.

Unicook’s Airis Sense stove guard is an example of this “pre-ignition” approach in practice:

Airis monitors cooking conditions at the hob using multisensor technology and AI-powered algorithms, rather than relying on a simple timer or single sensor
When it detects patterns associated with dangerous overheating, it automatically cuts power to the hob before a fire can start
Airis is designed to meet and exceed BS EN 50615 Category B for domestic cooking fire protection
Airis works with all types of electric hob (including induction) and has variants that allow for mounting on the wall, cooker hood, or ceiling depending on the property type
If it’s not practical to replace a gas hob with an electric one, an electric gas valve can be connected to the Airis power control unit For remote hosts and operators managing multiple units, this kind of automatic protection can be a proportionate way to reduce risk at source and demonstrate that you have taken robust, documented steps in your kitchen risk assessment.

Step 4 – Equipment, furniture and ongoing maintenance

Doors, furnishings and finishes

Your fire risk assessment should cover:

Whether doors on escape routes, and those between higher-risk areas and sleeping areas, provide suitable resistance to fire and smoke for your specific layout.
Whether upholstered furniture complies with the relevant fire safety regulations
If wall and ceiling finishes, particularly in escape routes and near cooking and heating appliances, could contribute significantly to fire spread Where issues are identified, you should plan and record the improvements you will make.

Fire-fighting equipment

For many small premises where guests are unaccompanied, the safest expectation is that guests evacuate, not attempt to fight a fire.

However, depending on your risk assessment and whether staff are present or regularly visit, you may decide to provide equipment such as portable fire extinguishers and/or fire blankets.

If you do so, you must:

Provide appropriate training for anyone expected to use them (typically staff, not guests)
Maintain them in line with relevant standards and manufacturer instructions
Reflect them accurately in your guest information and risk assessment

Maintenance and record-keeping

Whatever measures you adopt, they only protect people if they work when needed.

A simple logbook can make this manageable. It might include:

Alarm tests (dates, results, actions taken)
Checks on escape routes and door operation
Any servicing of gas or electrical installations
Inspection and servicing of fire-fighting equipment (if provided)
Notes of any incidents, near misses or changes to the property These records are not just good practice; they are also important evidence if you are inspected, or if an incident occurs.

Step 5 – Bringing it together: a simple fire safety action plan

To turn guidance into action, it can help to frame your responsibilities as a short, prioritised checklist:

Confirm which guidance applies Check that your property falls within the scope of the small paying guest accommodation guide If you are unsure, seek advice from a competent person
Check that your property falls within the scope of the small paying guest accommodation guide
If you are unsure, seek advice from a competent person
Complete or update your written fire risk assessment Use a structured template Make sure it covers all areas, including the kitchen and any outbuildings or non-standard units
Use a structured template
Make sure it covers all areas, including the kitchen and any outbuildings or non-standard units
Address urgent issues first Missing or non-interlinked alarms Blocked or insecure escape routes Obvious electrical or heating hazards
Missing or non-interlinked alarms
Blocked or insecure escape routes
Obvious electrical or heating hazards
Review kitchen fire controls Tidy up layout and storage around the hob Update guest information and house rules Consider adding pre-ignition prevention such as Airis to reduce the risk of cooking fires where guests cook unsupervised
Tidy up layout and storage around the hob
Update guest information and house rules
Consider adding pre-ignition prevention such as Airis to reduce the risk of cooking fires where guests cook unsupervised
Update guest information and staff instructions Ensure your messages are consistent across booking platforms, house manuals and on-site notice
Ensure your messages are consistent across booking platforms, house manuals and on-site notice
Set a review cycle and keep records Schedule regular reviews (for example annually, or after significant changes) Keep your logbook and documents together and up to date
Schedule regular reviews (for example annually, or after significant changes)
Keep your logbook and documents together and up to date

How Unicook supports compliance in kitchens

As a host or small operator, you cannot outsource your legal duties, but you can choose specialist partners to help reduce risk in high-risk areas such as kitchens.

Unicook supports small paying guest accommodation by:

Advising on the right Airis variant to deliver automatic, pre-ignition protection for cookers and hobs in your property
Supplying technical documentation you can attach to your fire risk assessment to evidence how cooking-related risks are controlled
Offering options such as Airis Sense Wi-Fi for multi-property portfolios where monitoring and consistent standards matter Engineering controls do not replace good housekeeping, alarms or guest information, but they can significantly lower the likelihood of a serious kitchen fire, particularly in settings where guests are left to cook for themselves.

Frequently asked questions

Does fire safety law apply if I only let my property occasionally?

Yes. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applies whenever you provide paying guest accommodation, regardless of frequency. Even a single booking a year brings your property within scope. The key test is whether guests are paying to stay — not how often it happens.

Can I carry out the fire risk assessment myself?

The law allows self-assessment, provided you feel competent to interpret and apply the guidance to your specific property. For many straightforward holiday lets, working through the structured assessment in the official guide is achievable. That said, the assessment must be “suitable and sufficient”, and the consequences of getting it wrong are serious. Taking advice from a qualified fire risk assessor is often a sound investment, particularly for properties with any unusual features in their layout, construction, or use.

Do I need to provide a fire extinguisher in my holiday let?

Not necessarily. For small premises where guests are unaccompanied, the safest expectation is evacuation — not fire-fighting. A portable extinguisher may be appropriate if your risk assessment supports it and there are staff on site who are trained to use it. Providing one without that training in place, or without reflecting it accurately in your guest information and risk assessment, can create confusion rather than safety.

Does this guidance apply if I let out rooms in my own home?

It can. If you accept payment from guests — even occasionally, through a platform such as Airbnb — the Fire Safety Order applies. Where your property is a typical house let to a small number of guests and you live on the premises, the requirements are generally proportionate and manageable. The self-check in this article is a useful starting point for working out which guidance applies.

What does Airbnb or my booking platform require — and is that enough?

Booking platforms set their own requirements, which may include confirmation that you have working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and that a basic safety check has been carried out. These are separate from your legal obligations under the Fire Safety Order, and are generally less detailed. Ticking a platform’s checklist does not substitute for a proper fire risk assessment.

Does this guidance apply in Scotland and Wales?

No — this article covers England only. Scotland has its own fire safety legislation under the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 and associated regulations, and Wales operates under equivalent but distinct legislation. If your property is in Scotland or Wales, consult the relevant national guidance or your local fire and rescue service.

What are the consequences of not complying with fire safety law?

The Fire Safety Order is enforced by local fire and rescue services. Officers can inspect premises and, where standards are not met, issue enforcement notices requiring improvements or prohibition notices restricting or closing a property to guests. Non-compliance can also affect your insurance position, and the liability implications in the event of a fire can be significant.

Is a stove guard a legal requirement for holiday lets?

No — there is no specific requirement to install a stove guard. However, your fire risk assessment must address cooking-related risks, and where guests cook unsupervised you need to demonstrate that you have taken reasonable precautions. Pre-ignition protection such as Airis is one way to address kitchen fire risk at source, with supporting technical documentation that can form part of your risk assessment records. Airis is compatible with all electric hob types — including induction, ceramic, and halogen — up to 90cm wide; it is not currently available for gas hobs.

Next steps for hosts

Fire safety for small paying guest accommodation does not have to be complex, but it does need to be intentional and documented.

Over the next week, you might consider:

Blocking out an hour to walk through your property “as a guest at night” and note down any fire safety concerns
Starting or updating your written fire risk assessment using the structure in this guide, or finding a suitable fire risk assessor to undertake the work for you
Paying particular attention to the kitchen and ask whether your current measures are robust enough for unsupervised guests If you would like to explore how Airis could help you manage kitchen fire risk in your property or portfolio, you can:
Contact Unicook for a short consultation about your set-up
Request technical information to support your fire risk assessment
Discuss options for integrating pre-ignition protection into your wider fire safety plan Taken together, these steps will not only help you align with the latest guidance; they will also give you, and your guests, greater confidence that the essentials of fire safety are under control.

Sources

[1] Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 [2] Making your small paying guest accommodation safe from fire – GOV.UK [3] Building Safety Act 2022 [4] Fire safety risk assessment: sleeping accommodation – GOV.UK [5] National Fire Chiefs Council [6] Detailed analysis of fires and response times to fires attended by fire and rescue services, England, April 2024 to March 2025 – MHCLG

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