# Fire-Rated Boards for HMO Conversions: A Practical Guide

Turning a house into an HMO (house in multiple occupation) almost always means upgrading fire protection, especially around the escape route. The exact requirements come from Building Regulations and your council's HMO licensing standards, which usually draw on the national LACORS fire safety guidance for housing. This guide covers the board and insulation side of the work.

## What usually needs protecting

-   **The escape route:** the hallway, stairs and landings that lead out of the building. Walls and ceilings around it often need 30 minutes' fire resistance.
-   **Walls between rooms and the escape route:** typically bedroom walls onto the hallway, together with fire doors.
-   **Between floors:** ceilings under upper-floor rooms, especially in taller properties or those with more occupants.
-   **Kitchens and other higher-risk rooms** that open onto the escape route.

The level of protection depends on the number of storeys, the number of occupants and the layout. Always confirm the specification with your council's private housing team and with building control before buying materials.

## Achieving 30 minutes

Fire resistance comes from a tested system, not from the board alone. The plasterboard manufacturer's system data tells you which combination of board, thickness, stud, insulation and fixings achieves a given rating. As a general guide:

-   A timber or metal stud partition lined on both sides with [fire-rated plasterboard](/collections/fire-boards) can typically reach 30 minutes. The board thickness and number of layers come from the manufacturer's system sheet.
-   Old lath-and-plaster or tired plasterboard ceilings are often upgraded by overboarding with fire-rated board, screwed through into the joists.
-   [Mineral wool](/collections/acoustic-partition-roll) in the cavity improves sound insulation and forms part of some fire-rated systems.

## Don't forget the gaps

-   Fire-stop service penetrations through fire-rated walls and ceilings with suitable fire-rated sealant or collars.
-   Follow the screw centres in the system data. Fixings spaced too far apart can let boards fall away early in a fire.
-   Tape and joint all boards fully, because open joints weaken the fire barrier.
-   Fire-rated walls and ceilings only work together with the right fire doors, alarms and detection.

## Sound between rooms

HMO tenants live close together, so it's worth combining fire and acoustic upgrades in one go. Many [sound boards](/collections/sound-boards) also carry a fire rating (check the datasheet), and [resilient bars](/collections/resilient-bars) on ceilings help with footstep noise. Our [flat conversion soundproofing guide](/pages/soundproofing-flat-conversions) goes into more detail.

## Typical materials list

-   Fire-rated plasterboard (check thickness and layers against the system)
-   Metal stud and track, or timber
-   Mineral wool or acoustic partition roll
-   Fire-rated sealant and intumescent products for penetrations
-   Drywall screws at the specified centres, jointing tape and compound

## HMO work near you

HMO conversions are common in university cities such as [Liverpool](/pages/next-day-insulation-merseyside), [Leeds](/pages/insulation-supply-leeds) and [Manchester](/pages/insulation-supply-manchester), and across [London](/pages/insulation-supply-london). See those pages for local delivery details.

Send us the fire specification from building control or your licensing officer at sales@nextdayinsulationltd.co.uk, and we'll match products and quantities to it.

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> Source: [Next Day Insulation](https://nextdayinsulations.com/pages/hmo-fire-separation)