Type of bedroom door locks in HMOs

Hi Mike,
Consensus is if the HMO is a single joint AST living as a group there is not a requirement to fit locks. However, if it is multiple tenancies then the tenant is not renting the use of the entire house but the room so it should have a lock.

Also see >> https://www.property118.com/can-a-landlord-refuse-to-put-locks-on-hmo-bedroom-doors/

I assume though these are going to be fire doors and have you consulted your local HMO Enforcement Officer? The preference for fire safety would seem to be thumb turn locks for ease of exit in a panic.

Mike
I recommend you get some training and attend some courses. HMOs are not a game and are much more complicated than single BTL.
You will need fire doors with intumescent strips and door closers. Hinges should also be metal and not the nylon type that developers used until a few years ago! You should install thumb turns so the occupiers cannot find themselves trapped inside.
You should also consult your HMO officer now. You may need to become licensed. You need to ensure you install the correct type of fire alarm system and that other essential matters (such as fire-resistant corridors and sound-proofing) are covered at the planning stage.

Mike, you will need to ensure that you comply with all the HMO regulations (there are loads and loads of them), as well as HHSRS, and particularly anything to do with fire safety.
As already stated by others, you will need fire doors throughout, with thumb turn locks on the bedroom doors and external doors, and all the associated fire rated hardware (hinges, closers, etc), and intumescent strips or smoke seals (check which are needed for which doors).
You will also need protected fire escape routes (and this could also involve installing fire escape windows), and of course you will need a mains interlinked fire alarm system.
There could be many other things that you need to have, so as others have already stated, get as much info as possible from your local authority, consult LACORS and HHSRS guidance, get a fire risk assessment carried out, and get some training specifically on HMOs.
If you get it wrong, you could face civil penalties of up to £30,000 PER OFFENCE, (or criminal prosecution and unlimited fines), plus Rent Repayment Orders.

Mike you’d better get your scissors ready to cut through the red tape.
I’ve recently fitted these to the doors of our HMO.
https://www.toolstation.com/roller-bolt-nightlatch/p60505

In theory they can’t lock themselves out of their rooms so you won’t have to charge them a call out fee to go and let them in at 3 in the morning.
Get your money ready to pay your local council for the licence fee as well 😡.

Good luck.....

Hi Mike ,

i must agree and emphasis the message from the other members. You must get in black and white from your HMO officer of the council covering your houses the exact requirement , do not take word of mouth information as gospel , Councils can differ slightly . It should be available on line from them . Ultimately only you as landlord are liable and therefore you must be absolutely certain what is required. Good luck and hope my advice is helpful .

I can't remember if I posted this post? is there another Mike ?
May be I did post but for the life of me I cannot remember asking this question! getting old!!!!

But I know the answer to this question, hence I was wondering if I really did ask or post this question. 😒

By the way, Newham council wrote to me requesting me to supply the 11 following documents under their licensing conditions, in under 28 days from the date of their letter, suppose I did not receive the letter or it arrived late???

It took me best part of the month to compile the reports and prepare them for emailing because some of the paper documents had to be scanned and converted to pdf, but it took them less than a few hours to go through them and say all is Ok, failure to supply this information ......£30,000 bloody pounds down the pan!
1. written statement of terms in which the tenants occupy and detailed arrangements in place to deal with repairs and emergency
2.Gas safety Certificate : copy of latest certificate for all gas appliances issued within the past 12 months
3. Fire Alarm/Emergency Lighting test certificates: Mine is a small HMO, no need for a certificate but only a log showing dates when fire or smoke detectors were tested, I use a spread sheet and tick against each detector location when test is carried out. My HMO does not require Emergency lighting, as it is a small HMO
4.Electrical Installation Condition report (EICR)
5.Electrical Appliance test certificates - PAT test washing machine, fridge, kettle, microwave etc.
6.Property Inspection Records: Records of inspections carried out at the property, detailing who carried out the inspections, Date and Time! and issues found, and actions taken!
7.Pest Control treatment records: In my case I had a tenant who brought in tiny little creatures called bed bugs, guess what he accused me that my place had the bugs when he had been living there for a year and the treatment cost me £225.00!
8.Tenancy Deposit Scheme: I don't take deposits so I did not need to provide them any details.
9. Tenancy Management Arrangements: Yes I wrote a 3 page long letter explaining to them what role I play etc.
10.Copies of references of all tenants and occupants
11. Name and details of all occupants: This was a bit complex in my case , I had a tenant in joint name but his partner went back to her country, so he brought in his nephew in her place, but I had not updated the agreement because she intends to return in 6 months so I did not want to amend any agreements, also a builder friend is renovating the place so he lived about 30 miles away and was spending a lot of time commuting and on cost of fares, so I allowed him to occupy one empty room for the time being whilst he is working on my property, no contract or tenancy agreement as it is not a tenancy , so I have declared all this information and they seem to have accepted it and updated my records, they did not raise any points.

there you are a full bloody time job renting HMOs

I am also a tenant in my own HMO, so do I need to give myself a Tenancy agreement? and how much rent should I charge myself? I am a bit confused , who would give me a reference? gets really complicated doesn't it!
Yes ! I have the same right as any tenants! no one can evict me!

Reply to the comment left by Mike at 08/11/2019 - 14:02
Mike
If you are living in your HMO, you need to check your mortgage conditions. BTL and HMO Lenders normally don't allow the borrower to live in the property.