Mandatory licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation

The legislation regarding the mandatory licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) changed on 01 October 2018.

Any HMO that is occupied by five or more persons who form two or more separate households, and who share basic amenities such as a kitchen, bathroom or toilet, now requires a licence. See Section 254 of the Housing Act 2004 for the definitions of HMOs.

You can apply for a HMO licence by completing our online form.

The Order applies to section 254 HMOs in England, but does not apply to converted blocks of flats, to which section 257 of the Act applies. These are buildings that have been converted into self-contained flats where the building work carried out in connection with the conversion did not comply with the appropriate building standards and still does not comply with them, and less than two-thirds of the self-contained flats are owner-occupied.

The government has also brought in the following changes:

• a minimum floor area for any bedroom occupied by a single person under 10 years of age to be 4.64m²
• a minimum floor area for any bedroom occupied by a single person of 6.51m²
• a minimum floor area for any bedroom occupied by two persons of 10.22m²
• to require landlords and agents to have appropriate arrangements in place for the storage and disposal of household waste, pending collection.

Further guidance can be found here: Guidance for Local Housing Authorities.