Fire certificates for buildings and houses in multiple occupation (HMOs)

Fire certificates for buildings

The following premises must have a fire certificate:

hospitals, regardless of how many people sleep there
care or nursing homes, regardless of how many people sleep there
ports and, or airport: any building which forms part of these, and includes an area used for passenger arrivals and, or departures from a ship or aircraft
hostels, tourist accommodation and lodging houses and residential schools, if they:
- provide sleeping accommodation for more than five people, some of which is above the first floor or below the ground floor, or
- provide sleeping accommodation for more than 40 people
residential schools

Fire certificates for houses in multiple occupation (HMOs)

If you own or lease buildings occupied by people who don't form a single household, your building may be classed as an HMO and you'll need a fire certificate.

A building may be an HMO if any of the following apply:

if the building, or part of the building, is owned or leased and has been converted into flats or bedsits
if more than five people live in the building and one or more of them sleep below the ground floor or above the first floor
if more than 40 people live in the building on any floor
if more than one of the flats / bedsits shares a toilet, bathroom or cooking facilities with another flat or bedsit
if the building has been converted into a block of self-contained flats, of which fewer than two-thirds are owner-occupied

The Fire Precautions Law

This legislation, which is enforced by the States of Jersey Fire and Rescue Service, sets out the type of premises which are required to obtain a fire certificate:

Fire Precautions (Jersey) Law 1977 on Jersey Law website

How to determine if you need a fire certificate

Use this flow chart to decide if your property is an HMO. If you're not sure, contact the Jersey Fire and Rescue Service.

Premises that need a fire certificate are set out in greater detail in the Fire Precautions (Designated Premises) (Jersey) Regulations.

Download the Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) flow chart (size 48kb)

Download Fire Precautions (Designated Premises) (Jersey) Regulations 2012 (size 140kb)

Cost of application

Find out the costs that apply to the type of application you're intending to make.

Fees for the type of application you're intending to make

How to apply for a fire certificate

You can apply for a fire certificate by using the application form (FPA1) below. Completed forms should be sent to the Fire Service.

Apply for a fire certificate

Renew your fire certificate

All fire certificates must be renewed every 36 months from the date of issue.

By renewing your fire certificate, the States of Jersey Fire and Rescue Service will know about any significant changes that have been made to your premises. This could include:

change of ownership
change of 'responsible person' in the premises
change of use
material or structural changes

Cost to renew a fire certificate

The renewal cost is £400. However, if you've made significant material or structural alterations, you may need to pay further charges.

When to renew a fire certificate

We will write to you, two months' before you need to renew your certificate. You should return the completed FPA1(A) form to us before the date stated in the letter. You will be invoiced separately for the renewal fee.

If we don't receive your application form by the stated date, your fire certificate will be considered cancelled. This means you may have to reduce the number of people within your premises until you apply for a new fire certificate.

Failing to return your completed application of renewal by the expiry date will incur a 100% submission penalty which will be added to the standard renewal fee.

Renew your fire certificate

Making changes or material alterations to certificated premises

We can inspect premises to see if conditions have changed so much that the means of escape and related fire precautions are no longer adequate.

However, you must inform the Chief Fire Officer in advance if you plan to do either of the following:

make a material extension of, or material structural alteration to, the premises
make a material alteration in the internal arrangements of the premises or in the furniture or equipment with which the premises are provided

Material alterations are any alteration which would make escape routes and related fire precautions inadequate in relation to the normal conditions of use of the premises as explained to, and seen by, the inspecting officer at the time the fire certificate was issued.

It is unlikely that you'll need to inform the Chief Fire Officer each time you want to rearrange the furniture in a room or to redecorate it, but you should do so if your proposals involve physical alterations to the means of escape and its associated protection, even if these are only temporary.

You must also notify the Chief Fire Officer in advance if you plan to begin to keep explosives or highly flammable materials in your premises.

If you intend to make any changes or material alterations to certificated premises, you must advise the Chief Fire Officer by filling in and returning an FPA2 form.

Permission for premises alteration

Change of owner or occupier of certificated premises

If you become the new owner, occupier or a Responsible Person of certificated premises, you must notify the Chief Fire Officer by completing and sending in an FPA3 form.

Amend fire certificate details

Log books

The Fire Precautions (Jersey) Law 1977 requires that the occupier of premises issued with a fire certificate must keep a record of the testing and maintenance of fire protection equipment and of staff training and fire drills in a log book which must be readily available for inspection as and when required.

Fire safety log book templates and extra pages