More than half of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) and houses converted into flats are failing fire safety audits, warns Direct365’s Karl Bantleman (pictured).

Analysis carried out by the firm of the latest Home Office fire statistics found that houses converted into flats have the highest failure rate of any building type, with 59% of audits resulting in a failure to meet required standards.

HMOs came next with a 55% failure rate, with both significantly above the average 42% of buildings that failed their first inspection in England in 2024/25.

Inspections rare

The data also reveals how rarely many residential investment properties are inspected. Although fire authorities are responsible for more than 2.5 million premises, only 52,026 fire safety audits were carried out last year.

At that rate, it would take around 48 years for fire services to inspect every building once.

Converted residential properties are among the least scrutinised. Only 1.2% of houses converted into flats were audited in 2024/25, while less than 1% of the UK’s roughly 94,000 HMOs received an inspection.

The data reveals a worrying ‘fire safety lottery’ across the UK.”

Bantleman says: “The data reveals a worrying ‘fire safety lottery’ across the UK. While sectors like care homes see one in five premises audited annually, buildings where people are most at risk, such as houses converted into flats, are slipping through the cracks with significantly less scrutiny.”

He is therefore urging landlords and property managers to take responsibility for their own fire precautions rather than relying on inspections.

He advises: “To help protect premises and ensure fire safety audits are satisfactory, business owners must keep all emergency exits clear, ensure fire doors are never wedged open, and ensure fire risk assessments are reviewed annually.”