HMO electrical safety in Bristol
EICRs, fire alarm systems, emergency lighting and remedial work for Bristol's shared houses and bedsits, planned around tenants, agents and the council's licensing standards.
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HMO EICRs from £350 + VAT
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What we do for HMO landlords
The inspection, the work that follows and the safety systems a licence asks for.
HMO EICRs
Every circuit tested, every board found and labelled, and a coded report you can send straight to tenants, your agent and the council.
EICR testing →Fire alarm systems
Interlinked, mains-powered smoke and heat detection to the grade the house needs.
Smoke and heat alarms →Emergency lighting
Escape lighting on shared stairs and landings where the route is long, complex or has no borrowed light.
Emergency lighting →Consumer units and remedial work
Old boards replaced and coded items put right at fixed, itemised prices.
Consumer units →Rewires between tenancies
When the report shows the wiring is past its life, the gap between tenancies is the time to do it.
House rewiring →Fault finding
Tripping and dead circuits traced properly, including faults that cross between rooms and floors.
Fault finding →Which Bristol licence applies
Bristol City Council now licenses almost every shared house in the city. A house let to five or more people from two or more households, sharing a kitchen or bathroom, needs a mandatory HMO licence. Since 6 August 2024, an additional licence has been needed citywide for a house or flat let to three or four unrelated people who share facilities.
Some single-household lets need a licence too. Selective licensing covers privately rented homes in the Bedminster and Brislington West wards, and since August 2024 in Bishopston and Ashley Down, Cotham and Easton. The council's property licence checker confirms what a particular address needs.
What the electrical rules ask of an HMO
The 2020 electrical safety regulations apply to HMOs as to any private let: the fixed wiring inspected and tested at least every five years, or sooner if the last report says so, a copy to each tenant within 28 days, and a copy to the council within seven days if it asks. Remedial work has to be finished within 28 days of the inspection, or sooner if the report says so. Councils can fine up to £40,000 per breach from 1 May 2026, under the Renters' Rights Act 2025. Our landlord guide sets out every deadline.
More to inspect than a family home
HMOs often have more circuits, more than one board, locks on bedroom doors and a separate landlord's supply for the shared areas. We arrange access through you or your agent, test every room, and record which board feeds what, so the next inspection is quicker and cheaper.
Bristol's fire alarm standard for licensed HMOs
Bristol City Council sets the fire detection it expects in a licensable HMO by the number of storeys, the number of people and whether the house is let as a shared house or as bedsits. In every case the detectors are interlinked and mains powered with a tamper-proof backup battery, and the kitchen has a heat detector.
| The house | System the council's standard asks for |
|---|---|
| Shared house, up to 6 people | Grade D1, Category LD2: smoke detectors in the hall and on each landing and in the lounge, a heat detector in the kitchen |
| Shared house, 7 or more people | Grade D1, Category LD1: as above, plus smoke detectors in every bedroom |
| Bedsits and bed/living rooms | Grade D1, Category LD1, with heat detection where there is cooking; a 4 storey bedsit house for 7 or more needs a Grade A panel system |
The same standard asks for emergency lighting, to BS 5266-1, where the escape route has no borrowed light or is long or complex. The council's own document is the final word for a particular house, and a licence can set conditions of its own.
Sources: Fire safety standards for licensable HMOs, Bristol City Council; Check if you need a property licence, Bristol City Council.
HMO electrical prices in Bristol
| Job | Price |
|---|---|
| HMO EICR (house in multiple occupation) | from £350 + VAT (£420 inc VAT) |
| Consumer unit replacement | from £680 + VAT; most houses need 8 to 12 ways at £780 + VAT |
| Like-for-like mains smoke alarm | £120 + VAT (£144 inc VAT) |
| Fault finding, first visit | £140 + VAT (£168 inc VAT) |
| Fire alarm upgrades, emergency lighting and remedial work | Itemised fixed quote after the inspection |
Each inspection price covers one fuse board with up to 12 circuits on a single-phase supply. Many HMOs have more than one board, and we price a second board, an outbuilding or a three-phase supply before booking. Remedial work is never part of the inspection price, and you are free to use another electrician for it.
HMOs across Bristol
Shared houses cluster where people study and work: the tall Victorian houses of Cotham, Redland and Clifton near the university and the hospitals, the terraces of Bishopston and Horfield off Gloucester Road, and the streets of Bedminster, Southville and Totterdown in South Bristol, where converted terraces now house young professionals as well as students.
We plan around the letting calendar. Book the inspection before the summer turnaround, and any remedial work, a new board or an alarm upgrade can happen in the weeks the house stands empty, with the paperwork ready before the next tenants move in.
How we price: no surprises
Every job is different, so we look before we quote.
We check what's actually there before quoting anything.
The price we agree is the price you pay.
If we find anything unexpected, we stop, explain it and agree any change with you before continuing.
Estimates are always free, and there's never any obligation.
What Bristol customers say
"Great quality work, punctual and very clean. Highly recommend."
"Great professionalism and clear communication. Luke was able to get us booked in the same week."
"The most reliable and knowledgeable electricians I've come across. Extremely professional."
Frequently asked questions
How much is an HMO EICR in Bristol?
HMO EICRs start from £350 + VAT (£420 inc VAT). Each price covers one fuse board with up to 12 circuits; a second board, an outbuilding or a three-phase supply is priced before we book.
Does my shared house need a licence in Bristol?
If three or more people from two or more households share a kitchen or bathroom, it almost certainly does: five or more need a mandatory licence, and since August 2024 three or four need an additional licence anywhere in Bristol. The council's property licence checker confirms it for your address.
What fire alarm does a Bristol HMO need?
Interlinked, mains-powered detection with a tamper-proof backup battery and a heat detector in the kitchen, at the grade the council sets: Grade D1 LD2 for a shared house of up to six people, and LD1, with detectors in the bedrooms, for larger houses and bedsits.
How often does an HMO need an electrical inspection?
At least every five years, or sooner if the last report gives an earlier date, with a copy to each tenant within 28 days and to the council within seven days if it asks.
Get your free quote
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TrustMark Registered Business and Trading Standards Approved, licence no. 4257835. TrustMark is the Government Endorsed Quality Scheme for work in and around the home, and Trading Standards has also checked and approved us under TrustMark's Trading Standards Approved scheme. We are registered for domestic electrical work through NAPIT, our scheme provider. Check our registration on TrustMark