Fire alarm systems for HMOs & commercial premises
Designed, installed, certified and serviced — the graded systems an HMO licence or a workplace fire risk assessment actually requires, not domestic alarms on a bigger wall.
Quoted the same or next working day · Most installs take 1 day · Certification on completion
Who needs a graded system — and why
Ordinary homes are covered by the interlinked domestic standard. Two situations demand more. HMOs — houses in multiple occupation, like student flats and shared lets — need a graded fire alarm system as a condition of the HMO licence, typically with mains-wired, battery-backed detection in every bedroom, hallway and shared space. Commercial premises — shops, offices, cafés, workshops — need whatever their fire risk assessment specifies, usually a panel-based system with call points, zoned detection and emergency lighting alongside.
These are designed systems, not products off a shelf: the layout of the building decides the category of cover, the detector types and where every device goes. We design to the fire risk assessment or licence condition, install, and hand over the certification your council or insurer asks to see — then keep the system serviced on a schedule so the paperwork never lapses.
Churches are among our typical clients. Old timber, candles, heating systems and large open volumes make them very high risk, and a well-designed system is often a condition of their insurance.
| PREMISES | WHAT'S TYPICALLY REQUIRED | PAPERWORK |
|---|---|---|
| HMO (licensed) | Mains-wired, interlinked detection in bedrooms, halls and shared rooms; heat in kitchen; emergency lighting on escape routes in larger HMOs | Installation certificate + annual service record for the licence |
| Shop / office / café | Panel-based system with manual call points and zoned detection, to the fire risk assessment; emergency lighting usually alongside | Commissioning certificate + periodic service visits |
| Workshop / larger site | As above, with detector types matched to the environment (dust, fumes, cold) so it protects without false-alarming | Certificate + service schedule agreed per site |
How it works
-
Survey & design
We walk the premises with your fire risk assessment or licence conditions and design the system to them — device by device, on a plan you keep.
On site, ~1 hour -
Fixed quote
One figure for the full design and install. Phased installs can be arranged for trading premises so you're never shut.
Same or next working day -
Install & certify
Installed, commissioned and tested zone by zone. You get the certification your council, landlord registration or insurer requires.
Typically 1 day -
Service & maintain
Periodic servicing with a record after every visit — so the system, and its paperwork, stay compliant year after year.
Scheduled per system
Excellent, reliable service. Great guys! Highly recommend VC Electrical.
Catherine Fernando — Google review
Fire alarm questions, answered
What does an HMO licence in Edinburgh require?
Typically mains-wired, interlinked detection in every bedroom, hallway and shared living space, a heat alarm in the kitchen, and emergency lighting on escape routes in larger properties — with certification and an annual service record for the licence file. Conditions are set per council and can change. Send us the licence letter and we'll design to it exactly.
What's the difference between domestic and commercial systems?
Domestic alarms are self-contained units that interlink with each other. Commercial and HMO systems are designed installations — often with a control panel, zones, manual call points and battery backup — specified to a fire risk assessment or licence, and formally certified and serviced. One is a product; the other is a system.
How often does a system need servicing?
Commercial systems are normally serviced at least every six months, HMO systems at least annually — with weekly user checks (a call point test) in between for workplaces. We set the schedule when we commission, and every visit produces the record your inspector or insurer asks for.
Do you certify the installation?
Yes — design, installation and commissioning certification comes with the job, which is the paperwork councils request for HMO licensing and insurers request for claims. No system leaves us working-but-undocumented.
Can you upgrade an existing system?
Usually, yes — extra detectors, replacement panels and new zones can often build on sound existing wiring, which costs far less than starting again. We survey what's there first and tell you honestly whether it's worth keeping.
Related services
Where we do this: Edinburgh · East Lothian · Midlothian
Book a survey
Tell us the premises and attach the HMO licence conditions or fire risk assessment if you have them — we'll survey, design and quote as one fixed figure.
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