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Houses in Multiple Occupation
You may need a licence for a House in Multiple Occupation if you're renting out to several tenants who aren't members of the same family.
What a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) is
Your property is an HMO if:
3 or more tenants are living there as more than one household
tenants share the kitchen, bathroom or toilet facilities
A household can be a single person, a couple or a family.
If a group of friends or professionals are sharing, each person is counted as a household. For example, a share between 5 friends would count as 5 households.
Changes to the licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation from October 2018
A number of national changes to the licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) and licensing conditions were introduced in October 2018.
Number of storeys
From 1 October 2018, mandatory licensing is no longer limited to HMOs that are three or more storeys high, but also includes buildings with one or two storeys.
For mandatory licensing to apply, the HMO (or Flat in Multiple Occupation) must be occupied by five or more persons, from two or more separate households.
This change will mean that flats, maisonettes and 2 storey properties may require a licence if they are occupied by 5 or more people sharing. Flats situated in purpose built blocks consisting of 3 or more flats do not require a licence.
The changes took effect on 1 October 2018. Landlords of HMOs that fall under the new definition will be committing a criminal offence if they fail to apply for a licence or a temporary exemption.
Minimum room sizes
HMO minimum room sizes to came into force 1 October 2018
This applies to bedrooms in licensed properties occupied by persons aged 10 and over.
The minimum size for a single bedroom is 6.51²m
The minimum room size for a double bedroom is 10.22²m
In certain situations, it may be permissible for a child under 10 to occupy a bedroom no smaller than 4.64²m
Any part of the floor area of the room at which the ceiling height is less than 1.5m, is not to be taken into account when measuring the room size.
Where a breach is found to exist, the council may provide a time period not exceeding 18 months to rectify the situation.