Houses in Multiple Occupation

What is a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO)?

The Housing Act 2004 says if a landlord lets a property which is one of the following types it is a 'house in multiple occupation':

• A shared house lived in by people who belong to more than one family and who share one or more facilities
• A house in bedsits lived in by people who belong to more than one family and who share one or more facilities
• An individual flat lived in by people who belong to more than one family and who share one or more facilities
• A building of self-contained flats that do not meet 1991 Building Regulation standards.

An HMO must have a licence if both of the following apply:

• It is an HMO
• It is occupied by five people or more who do not form a single household 

All HMOs occupied by five or more persons forming two or more households and otherwise not exempted are required to be licensed. HMOs consisting entirely of fully selfcontained flats, which are not occupied as flats in multiple occupation, are exempt.

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.

Changes to Legislation:

In October 2018, there were two major changes to HMO:

• Inclusion of HMOs which are less than three stories high
• Minimum sleeping room sizes (Room Sizes - HMO (PDF Document, 0.1 Mb))

If you rent out a property for house in multiple occupancy (HMO) you may require an HMO licence from us. 

Landlords may also find our information on Landlord Accreditation Schemes useful.