I get asked this question ALL the time so thought
I should really put down the laymans simple guide
to what the HMO regulations mean for you.
Since the Housing Act of 2004, all HMO's (Houses
of Multiple Occupation) have fallen under the regulations
of the act.
The regulations cover any investment property where
two or more unrelated people share - so even if
you have a 2-bed flat and you have 2 unrelated people
sharing it; its technically a HMO.
However, the government are really interested in
larger HMO's where risks such as fire hazards, overcrowding,
poor sanitary and conditions may prevail. This being
the case, the the standard of the regulations differs
according to the type of HMO it is.
There's also the confusion over occupants verses
households. An occupant is a person; a household
is the family unit; i.e. there are four people that
live in my house but only one household. I have
licences for properties where I can let to 6 households
but up to 8 people (ie I could let to 2 couples
if I wanted to). You get the picture...
If
you're serious about your property business
in 2013, you will get this report, right now
and read the report today. |
Imagine,
month after month, having dozens of £400
deposits in your bank account,with almost
no chasing the rent and little tenant support—ever.
What an easy way to earn a living that would
be! You can have that life. I'll show you
how.
- Why
HMO's Are The Perfect Property Investment
- HMO's
Are Not Problem Free
- Why
HMO's Are More Than Just a HMO
- The
HMO Survival Guide
-
Managing Your HMO Effectively
- Make
Money With This Report
|
Generally speaking, the high-risk HMO's where there
are more than 5 people sharing in a 3 storey or
greater house is where the regulations will be tightest
- and rightly so as these are the types of houses
where fire safety needs to be highest. These investment
properties will be subject to mandatory licencing.So,
how do you know whether your property falls under
mandatory licencing or not?
1.
The regulations will generally only apply to houses
as flats are unlikely to have the space or facilities
for multiple-occupation (unless they are one of
the new hybrid of student-flat developments springing
up everywhere).
2.
The key criteria always asked is - is the house
occupied by 5 or more people (including children)
who are living as 2 or more households?
3.
The next criteria is - are amenities shared between
households such as bathrooms, kitchens, toilets
or showers?
4.
The final criteria asked - is the property 3 storeys
(floors) in height?
Depending on your answers will depend on whether
your property is classified as requiring a mandatory
licence.
If
you're serious about your property business
in 2013, you will get this report, right now
and read the report today. |
Imagine,
month after month, having dozens of £400
deposits in your bank account,with almost
no chasing the rent and little tenant support—ever.
What an easy way to earn a living that would
be! You can have that life. I'll show you
how.
- Why
HMO's Are The Perfect Property Investment
- HMO's
Are Not Problem Free
- Why
HMO's Are More Than Just a HMO
- The
HMO Survival Guide
-
Managing Your HMO Effectively
- Make
Money With This Report
|
So, what then happens if you have a property that
is classified as a HMO and it needs licencing?
1.
You need to get in contact with your local council
and speak to the HMO Licencing Team (depending on
the council, this may be someone on the Environmental
Health team) and get then to send you an Application
Form for a House in Multiple Occupancy.
2.
The normal forms are about 30 pages long and go
into a lot of detail - so you'll need to set aside
a couple of hours to complete this in full. The
form basically asks you a lot of information about
the property, you and the managing agent (if you're
not managing it yourself). I'm going to cover in
another post how to fill out the form correctly.
3.
Send this off together with a large cheque of indeterminant
amount (last time I checked, licence fees went from
£300 right through to £1,500 per property
across the country - although its the same amount
of work every time!).
4.
The council will then get back in contact with you
regarding any fire and safety regulations that you
may need to adhere to. Again, I'm going to cover
these in more detail in another post but for now;
suffice to say that any 3-storey property with 5
or more people in is generally going to need a BS5839:6
2004 Grade A fire system. Sometimes a Grade B or
Grade D system is allowed but this does depend on
the fire officer, the level of risk presented and
the structure of the building.
5.
You're also going to have to have fire doors on
all "hot" doors (basically anything that
isn't a bathroom) with intrumescant strips and closers.
That together with fire extinquishers in the kitchen
will give you enough protection against any fires.
For a HMO that isn't licenced, the same rules apply
in terms of health and safety but you won't be required
to follow a prescribed set of instructions - this
is something that you need to do yourself and be
comfortable that the fire protection you are providing
is adequate according to the regulations in place.
So, to sum up; if you have
a 3 storey property with 5 or more people in, you
will need to apply for a mandatory licence; if there
are less people or less storeys that this; it will
not be licenced but it will still be a HMO.
Matthew
Moody
01933460270
www.yourhmoexpert.com
