HMO’s (Houses in Multiple Occupation)

The Housing Act 2004 created a new definition of an HMO and on the 6th April 2006 the Government introduced new legislation which used this definition to place restrictions on the numbers of occupants that may reside in a property.

Generally speaking (and it is a complicated piece of legislation – so this is not designed to be definitive)  where three or more people wish to share one property, and within that group there is more than one household (a household being a financial unit, ie a couple or a family), the property will be deemed as being a house in multiple occupation and will have to conform to additional safety regulations. 

In certain instances they will actually have to be registered as an HMO with the local authority and therefore be subject to their inspections and more stringent safety requirements.

Safety regulations will relate to smoke alarms, fire retardant components and fire escapes. Many Agents are unfamiliar with the regulations, but they are there for the safety of the tenants and prosecutions may follow those Agents and landlords who chose to flaunt the law in this regard.

Your Letting Consultant will be pleased to answer any questions you may have in this regard.