Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) Inspections
A House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) is defined in Sections 254 and 257 of the Housing Act 2004 as:
- An entire house or flat which is let to 3 or more tenants who form 2 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 3 or more tenants who form 2 or more households and who share kitchen, bathroom or toilet facilities;
- A converted house which contains 1 or more flats which are not wholly self contained (i.e. the flat does not contain within it a kitchen, bathroom or toilet) and which is occupied by 3 or more tenants who form 2 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 (which came into effect on 1st June 1992) and less than two-thirds of the flats are owner-occupied.
Inspections of HMO’s are subject to the requirements of the
Housing, Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) which applies to all dwellings. However, due to the high risk nature of HMO’s, they are also subject to additional Regulations to protect the safety of the occupants. These include:
- Management of HMO Regulations 2006 and 2007
- Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
In addition to this, HMO’s may also be subject to the following licensing requirements:
- Mandatory Licensing - for HMO’s with 3 or more storeys, 5 or more occupants forming 2 or more households
- Additional licensing - can be introduced by a council on other categories of HMOs in its area which are not subject to mandatory licensing.
As fully qualified Environmental health Practitioners with many years of housing experience, we undertake inspections of HMO’s for both private landlords and public sector landlords including housing associations and provide the following services:
