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Houses in multiple occupation

Your home is a house in multiple occupation (HMO) if both of the following apply:

• at least 3 tenants reside there, forming more than one household

• you share toilet, bathroom or kitchen facilities with other tenants

Your home is a large HMO if both of the following apply:

• at least 5 tenants reside there, forming more than one household

• you share toilet, bathroom or kitchen facilities with other tenants

A household is either a single person or members of the same family who live together. A family includes people who are:

• married or living together – including people in same-sex relationships

• relatives or half-relatives, for example grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings

• stepparents and stepchildren

Standards, obligations and how to complain

If you live in a large HMO, your landlord must meet certain standards and obligations.

Contact your local council to report hazards in your HMO. The council is responsible for enforcing HMO standards and can make a landlord take action to correct any problems.

Reclaim rent

All large HMO’s need a licence from the local council.

You may be able to apply a tribunal to reclaim some of your rent if your landlord has been prosecuted by the council for running an unlicensed HMO.

HMOs and coronavirus (COVID-19)

If you live in an HMO, you and all the other residents should:

• follow the general guidance about staying safe and preventing the spread of COVID-19

• behave in the same way as a single household if one of you has symptoms of COVID-19

• make sure all shared areas are cleaned regularly and kept well ventilated