Central London

Fire Safety & Security Services in Kensington & Chelsea

Fire risk assessments, fire alarms, fire doors and CCTV for hotels, shops, offices and converted period buildings across Kensington and Chelsea, from Earl's Court and South Kensington to the King's Road.

Our engineers come in from Hayes along the M4 to its first junction at the Chiswick flyover, then follow the A4 over the Hammersmith flyover and down Talgarth Road onto Cromwell Road.

IDS Global has worked from 27-37 Station Road, Hayes, since 2011 and is a member of the IFSM and the FPA.

Businesses and buildings in Kensington & Chelsea

Around Earl's Court the streets are lined with mid to late Victorian terraces, semi-detached houses and mansion blocks, and many of the larger houses were converted into flats or run as boarding houses. The council's own consultation on HMO licensing noted that 44 per cent of the borough's properties are privately rented. Heritage protection is unusually dense: 38 conservation areas cover nearly three quarters of the borough, and there are more than 3,800 listed buildings.

Commercial activity follows a few main streets. Kensington High Street is an upmarket shopping street whose Art Deco former department stores (Barkers, Derry & Toms and Pontings) now hold other uses, with music industry offices nearby. The King's Road runs just under two miles through Chelsea from Sloane Square and serves as its high street, home to Peter Jones and the Saatchi Gallery. In South Kensington, the Natural History Museum, Science Museum and V&A sit around Exhibition Road. The former Earl's Court Exhibition Centre, open from 1937 to 2014, is now the subject of a major redevelopment scheme.

Fire Risk Assessments in Kensington & Chelsea

A converted Victorian house in Earl's Court often lacks a simple layout. Stairs, split-level landings and later partitions all affect how people escape, and a mansion block's common parts can serve shops or offices on the ground floor as well as flats above. We assess escape routes, compartmentation, detection, emergency lighting and fire doors against the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, and rank the actions by risk.

For HMOs we write the assessment with the council's licensing process in mind, and for hotels we look closely at sleeping risk and night evacuation.

Fire risk assessments

Fire Alarm Installation in Kensington & Chelsea

Every licensed HMO in the borough must have smoke alarms installed and kept in working order, and landlords renewing or applying for a licence need systems they can evidence. We design BS 5839 systems for converted houses, flats above shops, hotels and offices, with cause and effect suited to multi-occupied buildings.

In listed buildings we plan cable routes, detector positions and sounders to reduce visible and physical impact, and we flag work that may need listed building consent before starting.

Fire alarm installation

Fire Door Installation in Kensington & Chelsea

Flat entrance doors and stair doors in converted period buildings can be original panelled doors that were never built to resist fire. We survey existing doors, upgrade them where that is practical and replace them with certified fire door sets where it is not, including self-closers, intumescent seals and correct gaps.

The council lists internal doors among the features protected in a listed building, so in those properties we agree the approach with you and the conservation officer before any door is altered or removed.

Fire door installation

CCTV Installation in Kensington & Chelsea

Shoplifting and theft from the person are the offences that stand out in the Royal Hospital neighbourhood in Chelsea, while Earl's Court records more burglary than any of the four neighbourhoods we reviewed. We cover tills, entrances, rear yards and communal hallways, with footage exportable for the police.

On a listed building, the council states that CCTV requires listed building consent, so we survey fixing points and cable routes early and supply the details your application needs.

CCTV installation

HMO licensing in Kensington and Chelsea

Alongside mandatory licensing, the council runs a borough-wide additional licensing scheme for HMOs let to three or more people forming two or more households who share facilities. The council's leadership team approved it on 19 October 2022 and it came into force on 1 June 2023. Licences last up to five years and require working smoke alarms. Fees are £1,004 for Part A and £489 for Part B, plus £72 per room above five units. Letting without a required licence can lead to a civil penalty or prosecution with an unlimited fine.

Listed buildings and conservation areas

Kensington and Chelsea has 38 conservation areas, covering nearly three quarters of the borough, and some properties carry Article 4 Directions that remove permitted development rights. Listing protects the whole building, including its interior and later extensions. The council's guidance names alarm boxes and CCTV among the works that need listed building consent. Unauthorised work to a listed building is a criminal offence, so consent should be settled before installation starts.

Earl's Court redevelopment

The former exhibition centre site covers about 18 hectares, 8 of them in Kensington and Chelsea and 10 in Hammersmith and Fulham. Hammersmith and Fulham resolved to grant planning permission on 26 November 2025 and Kensington and Chelsea followed on 16 December 2025. The Royal Borough's part allows up to 1,400 homes and 95,000 square metres of offices, with a first phase of 310 homes, a nursery and food and drink space. According to the developer, the section 106 agreement must be completed and the Mayor of London must review the scheme before permissions are issued.

Recorded crime in four local neighbourhoods

We counted police.uk street-level records for August 2025 to July 2026 inside four Metropolitan Police neighbourhood boundaries, so the figures are approximate. Royal Hospital logged around 383 shoplifting offences, 248 thefts from the person and 150 vehicle crimes. Campden recorded about 137 thefts from the person, 127 shoplifting offences and 121 vehicle crimes. Earl's Court had around 129 shoplifting offences, 114 burglaries and 60 vehicle crimes, while Queen's Gate in South Kensington had about 83 vehicle crimes, 71 thefts from the person and 57 burglaries.

Services available in Kensington & Chelsea

Frequently asked questions

Does a three-person flat share in Earl's Court need an HMO licence?

Very likely. Since 1 June 2023 the Royal Borough's additional licensing scheme has covered HMOs with three or more people from two or more households who share facilities, borough-wide. Flats in purpose-built blocks fall outside mandatory licensing but can still need an additional licence. We can carry out the fire risk assessment and provide the alarm certificates that support an application.

Can we fit CCTV or an alarm box to a listed building in Chelsea?

Possibly, but not without consent. The council states that both CCTV and alarm boxes on a listed building need listed building consent, and the protection extends to interiors. We survey discreet camera and bell box positions, route cables internally where possible and provide drawings for your application. The council's PlanningLine can advise on whether your proposal needs consent.

Will the fire brigade respond to an automatic alarm at our South Kensington hotel?

Yes. Hotels, guest houses and hostels are among the premises the London Fire Brigade attends on an automatic alarm at any time of day, as are HMOs, flats and Grade I, II and II* listed buildings. Offices and shops outside those categories need a confirmed fire before crews are sent between 7am and 8.30pm.

Which fire stations cover Kensington and Chelsea?

The London Fire Brigade lists three stations in the borough: Chelsea on the King's Road, Kensington off Kensington High Street in W8, and North Kensington on Ladbroke Grove.

We run a shop in Chelsea. Is CCTV worth it?

Our count of police.uk records for August 2025 to July 2026 shows about 383 shoplifting offences and 248 thefts from the person in the Royal Hospital neighbourhood, the highest shoplifting figure of the four neighbourhoods we reviewed. Cameras over entrances and tills give you usable evidence when an incident is reported.