If you rent out a holiday home, Airbnb, or any type of short-term let, now is the ideal time to review your fire safety arrangements. As a health and safety consultancy supporting businesses across the UK, we are seeing more holiday-let owners preparing for upcoming changes and taking proactive steps to protect their guests.

With a new national register for holiday lets in England expected to start soon, fire safety standards come under increased scrutiny. Ensuring your property is compliant now will help you avoid future issues and, most importantly, keep the people staying in your accommodation safe.

Your Fire Safety Duties as a Holiday-Let Owner

If you rent out a property, even occasionally you are legally responsible for protecting your guests from fire. This means following the correct fire safety guidance for your type of accommodation.

For small properties

(Up to 10 guests and no more than 2 floors) Use the government’s guide for small paying guest accommodation: Making your small paying guest accommodation safe from fire – GOV.UK

This guide is for people responsible for fire safety in paying guest accommodation that has:

• a simple layout
• limited fire risks
• a small number of bedrooms designated as guest sleeping accommodation for short-term lets

For example, a small bed and breakfast, guest house or self-catering accommodation.

It includes:

• guidance on complying with fire safety law
• a fire risk assessment checklist

For larger or more complex properties

Follow the national fire safety guidance for sleeping accommodation: Fire safety risk assessment: sleeping accommodation – GOV.UK

This guide gives advice about sleeping accommodation for staff, common areas for residents and sleeping, dining or other accommodation for guests/residents including:

• the common areas of houses in multiple occupation
• the common areas of flats and maisonettes
• the common areas of sheltered accommodation where care is not provided
• bed and breakfasts, guest houses, holiday chalets, holiday flat complexes, camping, caravan and holiday parks (other than privately owned individual units)
• areas in workplaces where staff ‘sleeping in’ is a condition of the employment or a business requirement as in licensed premises or hotels

These documents outline what you must do to meet your legal duties, including carrying out a fire risk assessment and putting suitable precautions in place.

Why This Matters

Guests staying in your property may not know the layout, escape routes, or how to react in an emergency. Clear, simple safety measures can make all the difference.

Every holiday-let should have:

• Safe and clear escape routes
• Working smoke alarms on every floor
• Carbon monoxide alarms where required
• Fire safety information for guests, written in plain English
• Regular checks and maintenance of alarms and equipment

These steps aren’t just about compliance they’re about protecting lives.

Real-World Example, When Fire Safety Goes Wrong

In 2025, a holiday-let business in St Ives was fined more than £33,000 after inspectors found serious fire-safety failings, including no suitable fire risk assessment, inadequate detection systems and unsafe evacuation arrangements. The court made it clear that guests must be protected and that failing to meet legal duties can lead to significant penalties.

How ST Safety Services Ltd Can Help

At ST Safety Services Ltd, we work with holiday-let owners to make fire safety simple, manageable and fully compliant. We can support you with:

• A full fire risk assessment tailored to your property
• Identifying gaps in your current fire precautions
• Practical, proportionate recommendations that suit your building
• Preparing for the national register and future compliance checks
• Clear, guest-friendly fire safety information you can display in your property
• Ensuring alarms, escape routes and equipment meet legal standards

To help you build your knowledge and confidence, we also offer Fire Safety focused e-learning options ideal for owners, managers, cleaners, maintenance teams or anyone involved in running a holiday-let.

👉 Explore our Fire Safety e-learning here: ST Safety Services Ltd – MAIN | E-Learning

Whether you manage a single cottage or a portfolio of short-term lets, we’re here to help you stay compliant, reduce risk and protect your guests.

Find Out More

You can read the full government guidance on letting out a self-catering holiday home here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/letting-out-a-self-catering-holiday-home-in-england-rules-and-regulations#fire-safety