To all landlords who rent to sharers

As most Property118 readers will be aware, properties where there are three or more occupiers forming more than one ‘household’ will be classed as an HMO.  Making landlords liable for extra regulation.

Properties, where there are five or more occupiers forming more than one household, will be subject to mandatory licensing.

Other HMOs or indeed other rented properties may be subject to additional or selective licensing if this has been set up by their Local Authority.

One of the big problems with HMO properties is that many landlords don’t realise that they ARE HMOs and so, therefore, don’t consider or comply with the various rules and regulations which apply.

Indeed many landlords are wholly unaware of the HMO Management regulations which apply irrespective of whether you need to obtain a licence but which can make landlords liable for expensive penalties if they are not complied with.

Note also that some landlords, particularly those who fail to carry out regular property inspections, may not be aware that their tenants have made them liable for HMO licensing by installing unauthorised occupiers in the property.

With inflation and the rising cost of living, it is likely that many tenants, struggling to pay rent and other expenses, will be doing this.  However, the fact that the additional occupier is there in breach of contract will not deter Local Authorities from requiring you to regularise the situation by obtaining a licence (although they should allow you time to deal with this in view of the fact that the extra occupier is unauthorised).

Then there is the fact that many tenants are now more aware of their right to apply for a rent repayment order if landlords of licensable HMOs fail to obtain a licence (although I doubt they would succeed if the liability was wholly down to their illegal lodger!)

Help for HMO Landlords

We at Landlord Law have a lot of help for HMO landlords, including a little free online course here which gives the basics. 

However, if you need to know more, we will be running a workshop, ‘HMO Law and Practice’, with solicitor and HMO Expert David Smith on 27 April 2022.

This will be both an ‘in person’ and also a live-stream event, allowing landlords unable to physically travel to the venue to still attend and ask questions.

The workshop will also be recorded, and the recordings will be available to delegates after the event.

This is a workshop we have run many times in the past, and it is always very popular.  It covers many important topics which landlords have problems with, such as planning, Council Tax, applying for a licence and what to do if it all goes wrong.

Property118 readers can get a 5% discount off the live stream version with coupon code FFTW645V.  Note that this cannot be combined with any other offers and terms and conditions apply.  Additional discounts are also available for Landlord Law members.

For more information and a short video please click here. 

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