Published 7 November 2026
Quick answer: A mobility scooter should never be stored or charged in a shared corridor, stairwell or other escape route. Fire guidance for residential buildings prefers an outside store or a fire-protected scooter room, then storage inside your own flat, as long as the scooter does not block your only way out. Charge it in the daytime, using the maker’s charger. Your landlord can set rules and refuse unsafe storage, but should consider your needs.
Last checked: 7 November 2026. What we checked: the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) Mobility Scooter Guidance for Residential Buildings; North Wales Fire and Rescue Service scooter advice; the Scottish Government’s specialised housing fire guidance, Annex 7; the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, articles 6 and 14; the Home Office fact sheet on the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022; the Equality Act 2010 Schedule 4 explanatory notes.
Who this is for: Scooter users in flats, sheltered housing and care homes, family carers, and anyone about to buy a scooter who lives in a shared building.
This page gives general fire safety information. It is not legal advice, and your building’s own fire risk assessment and policy take priority. If you are unsure whether you need a scooter or a smaller alternative, ask your GP, an occupational therapist or your council for an assessment.
Why scooters in shared buildings worry fire services
The NFCC’s guidance for residential buildings says scooter fires are uncommon, but the results can be serious when one starts in the wrong place. Its main concerns are:
- Escape routes. A burning scooter in a corridor or stairwell can make the only way out impassable. Even an unburnt scooter can block a route, particularly for someone using a walking frame or wheelchair.
- Charging. The guidance names electrical faults and charger faults, along with arson, as the most common causes of scooter fires. Charging overnight puts sleeping residents at risk.
- Smoke. The guidance describes the smoke as dense and toxic, and says a fire in an escape corridor can quickly make conditions too dangerous to pass.
Lithium and sealed lead acid batteries
Most scooters run on sealed lead acid batteries (including gel and AGM types). Some newer and portable models use lithium. The NFCC notes that all scooter batteries can give off hydrogen while charging. It singles out lithium iron phosphate batteries as carrying increased risk because of how unpredictably they react in a fire. The Scottish Government’s housing guidance repeats this point. Our guide to which kind of battery your scooter takes explains how to tell which you have.
None of this means a lithium scooter is unsafe to own. It does mean where you charge it matters more.
The law on shared parts of a building
| Rule | Where it applies | What it means for scooters |
|---|---|---|
| Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 | England and Wales | In a block with two or more homes, the Order covers the structure, external walls and common parts, including flat entrance doors. The “responsible person” (usually the landlord, freeholder or managing agent) must keep routes to emergency exits clear at all times where that is needed for safety (article 14) |
| Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 | England only, in force since 23 January 2023 | In every block with common parts, residents must be given fire safety instructions and information about fire doors. Buildings with storeys over 11 metres need regular fire door checks |
| Scottish fire safety law and guidance | Scotland | The 2005 Order does not apply. The Scottish Government’s practical guidance for specialised housing includes a mobility scooter annex with the same order of storage options; ask your landlord which rules it follows for your building |
| Northern Ireland | Northern Ireland | The 2005 Order does not apply. Ask your landlord or the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service about the rules for your building |
The 2005 Order does not generally apply inside your own flat, which counts as domestic premises. It does apply to the shared corridors, stairs and lobbies outside it. A care home is not domestic premises, so in England and Wales the provider is responsible for fire safety across the whole building, including residents’ rooms.
In practice, this is why many landlords and housing associations ban scooters from corridors and lobbies outright. That decision comes from the building’s fire risk assessment, which the NFCC says should record how many scooters a building can safely hold.
Storage options, from safest to least safe
The NFCC and the Scottish guidance set out a similar order of storage options. A version in plain terms:
| Option | What it looks like | Points to check |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Outside parking with charging | A covered bay or store with its own power supply, normally at least 6 metres from the building | Weather protection, security, lighting and a level route back to your door |
| 2. Secure outside store | A shed or fire-resisting enclosure, ideally with detection | Arson risk, electrics fitted properly, not blocking an outside escape route |
| 3. Purpose-built scooter room inside | A fire-resisting room with self-closing fire doors and automatic detection | Capacity limits, booking or allocated bays, charging points on a test regime |
| 4. Adapted room inside | An existing storeroom turned over to scooters | Same as above; it should not double as a bin or general store |
| 5. Inside your own flat | A room with a door you can close, away from your exit | Not in the hallway if that is your only way out; a smoke alarm in that room |
| 6. Any other internal area | Only after a detailed risk assessment involving the fire and rescue service | Extra measures such as sprinklers, linked alarms or smoke ventilation |
| Never | Shared corridors, stairwells, lobbies and other escape routes | Storage and charging here is the baseline “no” in the NFCC guidance |
Both sets of guidance list internal storage rooms with fire-resisting construction. The NFCC sets 60 minutes as the default, with 30 minutes normally adequate if the area holds no more than three scooters or has automatic fire suppression. That is a building matter for the landlord, not something a resident needs to arrange.
If outside storage is your only option, a metal shed sized for a scooter or a waterproof scooter cover will help keep it dry, but check with your landlord before putting up a shed on shared land.
Safe charging habits
These points come from the NFCC guidance and North Wales Fire and Rescue Service:
- Use the charger that came with the scooter, or a replacement the maker approves, and follow the maker’s instructions.
- Charge in the daytime. The NFCC suggests landlords restrict charging between 8pm and 8am, and North Wales Fire and Rescue Service advises against charging overnight. A plug-in timer helps.
- Never charge in a corridor or communal area.
- Plug straight into a wall socket. North Wales Fire and Rescue Service advises that charging units have a current portable appliance test.
- Fit a smoke alarm in the room where the scooter is kept and charged. If you or someone at home has hearing loss, see our guide to smoke alarms for deaf and hard of hearing people.
- Keep it serviced. Both sources tie fire risk to maintenance. If the scooter will not be used for a while, North Wales Fire and Rescue Service suggests removing the battery.
Day-to-day charging technique, and whether you can leave a scooter plugged in, is covered in our guides on how to charge a mobility scooter and leaving a scooter on charge all the time. Follow the maker’s manual where it differs from general advice, and never charge in an escape route whatever the manual says about charge times.
Stop charging and get the scooter checked if the battery or charger is swollen, leaking, smells hot or is visibly damaged.
What your landlord or care home can ask of you
Landlords, housing associations, retirement housing managers and care homes usually have a written scooter policy. The NFCC recommends that policies:
- require written permission before a scooter is stored in the building;
- set out where storage and charging is allowed, and the building’s capacity;
- allow the landlord to refuse storage where no safe option exists;
- include an appeal process for residents who are refused;
- ask residents to keep the scooter maintained to the maker’s guidance;
- ask residents to hold insurance that covers liability for damage or injury to others.
The NFCC’s advice to residents is simple: check your building’s policy before you buy a scooter. That avoids buying a large Class 3 model that will not fit the only allowed storage space. Our scooter finder can help you think about size before you choose.
The Equality Act and reasonable adjustments
A blanket ban does not end the conversation. Under the Equality Act 2010, landlords of let homes in Great Britain have a duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled tenants who ask, which can include changing a policy or a term of the tenancy. There is also a set process in England and Wales for a disabled tenant to request changes to physical features of common parts, such as a ramp. Whether a particular request (for example, a charging point in a bin store, or a ground floor storage space) is reasonable depends on the building, the cost and fire safety. If a request is refused on fire safety grounds, ask the landlord to explain what its fire risk assessment says and what alternatives it can offer.
If you are refused, ask for the reason in writing, ask what alternatives the landlord can offer, and use the appeal process. Northern Ireland has separate disability discrimination law.
Insurance
The NFCC and the Scottish Government guidance both say residents storing a scooter should have insurance that covers liability for damage or injury to others, and that home contents cover alone is not enough. Tell your home or contents insurer that you store and charge a scooter at home, and check any conditions. Our guide to scooter insurance compares what providers include.
Before you take on a scooter in a shared building, read reviews of local suppliers in our mobility company directory and ask the seller about size and storage before you pay.
What to do next
- Ask your landlord, housing officer or care home manager for the building’s scooter policy, in writing.
- Measure the space you have been offered, and the doorways on the route to it, before choosing a scooter.
- Agree where you will charge, and set a timer so charging happens in the daytime.
- Fit or test a smoke alarm in the room where the scooter lives.
- Check your insurance covers liability to others, and tell your home insurer.
- If you are refused storage and have no alternative, ask for a reasonable adjustment and use the appeal process.
Frequently asked questions
Can my housing association stop me keeping my scooter in the corridor?
Yes. In England and Wales the responsible person for the building must keep escape routes clear, and national fire guidance treats storing or charging a scooter in a corridor or stairwell as unacceptable. A landlord can enforce this through the tenancy and its scooter policy. What it should do is help you find another safe option, or consider a reasonable adjustment.
Is it safe to keep a mobility scooter inside my flat?
It can be, if the scooter is in a room with a door you can close, and not in the hallway when that is your only way out. Fit a smoke alarm in that room, charge during the day using the maker’s charger, and keep the scooter serviced. Check your landlord’s policy first, as some buildings restrict storage inside flats too.
Are lithium mobility scooters more dangerous to charge?
National fire guidance says lithium iron phosphate batteries carry increased risk because of how they behave once a fire starts. That does not make them unsafe in normal use. Use only the maker’s charger, never charge in an escape route, charge while you are awake, and stop using any battery that is swollen, damaged or smells hot.
Can I charge my scooter overnight in a care home?
Usually not. NFCC guidance suggests restricting charging between 8pm and 8am, mainly to protect sleeping residents, and many care homes follow this. The home is responsible for fire safety in the whole building, so it will set where and when charging can happen. Ask the manager for a charging slot or a fitted charging point.
Who pays for a scooter store in my block?
It depends on the landlord and the building. Some housing providers have built shared scooter stores; others rely on residents’ own sheds or covers. If you need a space because of a disability, you can ask for a reasonable adjustment, though the landlord may not have to make physical changes at its own cost in every case. Ask what the policy says and whether there is a waiting list.
Do I need insurance to keep a scooter in a block of flats?
National fire guidance recommends that residents hold insurance covering liability for damage or injury to others, and many landlord policies make it a condition of permission. Contents insurance on its own may not cover this. Check with your landlord what level of cover it expects.
Sources
- Mobility Scooter Guidance for Residential Buildings – National Fire Chiefs Council (hosted by Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service), accessed 7 November 2026
- Electric scooters – North Wales Fire and Rescue Service, accessed 7 November 2026
- Annex 7: Mobility Scooter Guidance (Fire safety: existing specialised housing and similar premises: practical guidance) – Scottish Government, accessed 7 November 2026
- Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, article 6 – legislation.gov.uk, accessed 7 November 2026
- Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, article 14 – legislation.gov.uk, accessed 7 November 2026
- Fact sheet: overview (Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022) – Home Office, GOV.UK, accessed 7 November 2026
- Equality Act 2010, Schedule 4 explanatory notes – legislation.gov.uk, accessed 7 November 2026
Published 7 November 2026
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