I always thought 2 households could occupy one property but reading the latest information, it look as though I could be wrong. It seems that 2 individuals can share a flat but a couple plus 1 friend makes the property an HMO. Is that right?
What other measures should I be taking if the property already has an annual gas saftey check and a valid 5 year EICR as well as hard wired smoke alarms?
I get a lot of people (especially in the current climate) asking to share a property with a friend. I am right to be turning them down as it would make the property an HMO.
2 Comments
You are correct such a scenario is an HMO. Basically, anything with 3 or more people sharing who are not ALL related to one another is an HMO.
Please see this article for the duties of the manager of an HMO under what’s known as the management regulations: https://www.landlordsguild.com/england-handbook/duties-on-the-manager-of-an-hmo/?country=2757&cat=2773&topic=2780&ao=englandhandbook&ai=2
Me again, going back to this question and I’ve had an enquiry from a boyfriend & girlfriend plus her cousin wanting to rent a property. Are they classed as 1 household (as the cousin is family) or 2?