Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMO) 

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Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) are commonly referred to as bedsits.

The Housing Act 2004 defines a House in Multiple Occupation as:

• an entire house or flat which is let to three or more tenants who form two or more households and who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet;
   
• a house which has been converted entirely into bedsits or other non-self-contained accommodation and which is let to three or more tenants who form two or more households and who share kitchen, bathroom or toilet facilities; 
   
• a converted house which contains one or more flats which are not wholly self-contained  (i.e. the flat does not contain within it a kitchen, bathroom and toilet) and which is occupied by three or more tenants who form two or more households;
   
• a building which is converted entirely into self-contained flats if the conversion did not meet the standards of the 1991 Building Regulations and more than one-third of the flats are let on short-term tenancies;
   
• in order to be an HMO the property must be used as the tenants' only or main residence and it should be used solely or mainly to house tenants. Properties let to students and migrant workers will be treated as their only or main residence and the same will apply to properties which are used as domestic refuges.

The Government has introduced mandatory HMO licensing for all privately rented HMOs of three or more storeys and occupied by four or more people with the aim to raise standards of amenities and management in the private rented sector.

This means that local housing authorities can impose conditions on licences, such as a maximum number of occupants in the building, a minimum number of bathrooms, toilets, cooking and laundry facilities.

Local environmental health authorities already had powers to force landlords to carry out works under health and safety legislation. HMOs were often associated with rogue landlords, overcrowding, poor fire safety and unacceptable standards of facilities.

Under the terms of the HMO licensing scheme, landlords are required to be “fit and proper” in terms of their suitability to manage the property. Local authorities received more than 30,000 HMO licence applications since implementation of the provisions in April 2006.

A purpose built block of flats is not considered to be an HMO, although individual flats within the building may be if they are let to three or more tenants of whom at least one is unrelated.

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