Fire Alarm Installation — HMO, Crewe

The Project

This fire alarm installation was carried out at a three-storey HMO town house in Crewe — a property type where getting the fire detection system right is not optional. Under the Housing Act 2004 and associated HMO licensing regulations, landlords are legally required to ensure adequate fire detection and alarm systems are in place. For a multi-storey, multi-occupancy property, that means a properly designed, installed, and certified system — not a handful of standalone smoke alarms.

Our team handled the full installation from first fix through to commissioning and certification, ensuring the property met its legal obligations and gave the landlord the documentation needed for licensing purposes.

What We Installed

The system fitted was a conventional multi-zone fire alarm panel — a C-TEC CFP series unit — which gives the landlord and any attending fire service clear zone-by-zone visibility of where a fault or alarm has originated. Across a three-storey property with multiple letting rooms, this is the right approach. A single-zone or standalone system would not give adequate coverage or meet the standard expected for an HMO of this size.

Detection devices were positioned throughout the property in line with BS 5839-6 guidance for Grade A systems in HMOs, covering:

• Individual letting rooms
• Shared kitchen and living areas
• Hallways, landings, and stairwells across all three floors

Manual call points were installed at ground floor exit level, with the main control panel positioned at the entrance to give immediate access for occupants and emergency services.

Why HMO Fire Alarm Requirements Are Different

A standard domestic property and an HMO are not treated the same under fire safety legislation — and for good reason. In an HMO, occupants are often strangers to each other, sleeping at different times, and may not respond to a fire in another part of the building until it has already taken hold. The alarm system has to compensate for that.

For a three-storey HMO, the expectation is a Grade A system: mains-powered detection devices with battery backup, interconnected so that an alarm anywhere in the property triggers sounders throughout. A conventional zoned panel adds an extra layer of information, making it immediately clear which part of the building has activated — valuable both for occupants evacuating and for the fire service on arrival.

Getting this wrong has real consequences for landlords — not just in terms of licensing, but liability. We always design to the correct standard for the property type, not the minimum that might pass a visual check.

The Installation Process

First fix involved running cabling throughout the property across all three floors, keeping runs neat and contained. Detection heads, sounders, and call points were then fitted and wired back to the control panel. Once all devices were in place, the system was powered up, each zone tested individually, and the full alarm sequence verified before sign-off.

All work was carried out to current UK standards and full certification was provided at handover — including everything the landlord needs to satisfy their local authority licensing requirements.

The Result

The property now has a fully operational, certified Grade A fire alarm system appropriate for its size and occupancy type. The landlord has the documentation in place for their HMO licence and the confidence that the system has been designed and installed correctly — not retrofitted as an afterthought.

For tenants living in the property, the system means that wherever a fire starts, every floor is alerted immediately. That response time matters.

Need a Fire Alarm System for Your HMO or Commercial Property in Cheshire?

We install and certify fire alarm systems for landlords and property managers across Crewe, Nantwich, and the wider Cheshire area. Whether you’re bringing a new HMO to licence or upgrading an existing system that no longer meets current standards, we can survey, design, install, and certify to the correct grade for your property type.

We also cover the full range of electrical services across Crewe and Nantwich and Cheshire — from EICRs and consumer unit upgrades to EV charging and solar panel installation.