Council services

An HMO is a house, which is occupied by people who do not form a single household.

It includes:

• A house let as individual bedsitting rooms
  
• A group of rooms on each floor let to single occupants
  
• Hostels, some hotels, guesthouses
  
• Lodgings, and share houses
  
• Houses converted into self-contained flats

The 2004 Housing Act, introduced compulsory licensing of HMO's. All houses let in multiple occupation must be properly managed in accordance with The Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (England) Regulations 2006 SI 2006/372 and comply with local authority conditions.

Furthermore, from April 2006 it became mandatory to license larger, higher-risk houses in multiple occupation. The mandatory scheme includes all rented properties of 3 or more storeys containing 5 persons or more, comprising of more than one household.

Councils will also be able to license other types of HMO to tackle problems in these smaller premises.

See our HMO pages

page last updated 13/03/2009