HMO standards

Bedsit-type houses and flats in multiple occupation

These are houses or flats let as individual rooms or bedsits. They are usually occupied by people who are not related and who live as more than one household. There is often little or no interaction between the residents.

There are 2 main types in this category:

1. Rooms with some exclusive use and shared amenities

These houses or flats are made up of individual rooms.

• Each person usually has their own bedroom or living room.
• Bathrooms and toilets are shared.
• Cooking and food preparation facilities are often provided in each room, but some people may share a kitchen.
• There is usually no shared living room.
• Each person lives independently from the others.

2. Rooms with shared kitchen and possibly a living room

In this type:

• There are no cooking facilities in the individual rooms.
• Everyone shares a communal kitchen.
• A shared living room may also be provided.
• Each person usually has their own tenancy, not a joint tenancy.
• Bedroom doors are usually lockable.
• At first, there may be little or no social interaction between residents. This may change over time, especially if there is a shared living room.

Hostel-type houses in multiple occupation

This category includes houses often called ‘hostels’, ‘guest houses’, or ‘bed and breakfast hotels’. These places provide accommodation for people who do not have a permanent home. They are different from hotels that offer short stays for visitors.

This type of housing may include:

• places used by local authorities to house homeless families or individuals while they wait for permanent accommodation
• similar establishments that provide housing for people who would otherwise be homeless
• hotels that are used, even occasionally, to house homeless people
• hotels that house both homeless households and temporary visitors.

In most cases, each person or family has their own room.

• Bathroom and toilet facilities are usually shared.
• Some rooms may have en-suite bathrooms.
• Some units may be fully self-contained.

Shared houses, flats and lodgings

Shared houses are a type of house in multiple occupation (HMO). 

They are usually rented by a group of people who know each other, such as students, work colleagues or friends, under a single joint tenancy.

Each person normally has their own bedroom, but they share other parts of the house, including:

• the kitchen
• dining facilities
• bathroom and toilet
• living room
• any other shared spaces.

All tenants have joint legal possession and control of the whole property, including all bedrooms.

There is usually a high level of social interaction between the occupants. In most cases, they will have chosen to rent the house together as a group. Although the group may live like a single household, the property is still legally defined as an HMO because the tenants are not related.