From the 17 March 2023 Lambeth will be moving to the Metastreet system for managing HMO licences.
Find out more about the transition
A house in multiple occupation (HMO) is a house or flat where both of the following apply:
- At least three tenants live there, forming more than one household.
- The occupants 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.
An HMO could be a:
- house split into separate bedsits
- shared house or flat, where the sharers are not members of the same family
- hostel
- bed-and-breakfast hotel that is not just for holidays
- shared accommodation for students – although many halls of residence and other types of student accommodation owned by educational establishments are not classed as HMOs.
For a legal definition of an HMO, visit the National HMO Network website.