HMO licensing now effective from 1st October.
Changes to landlord licensing scheme rules are now in place, and mandatory HMO licensing has been extended to most Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) that are occupied by five or more people who are not all related and where there is some sharing of facilities. It is important that your firm understands the implications of these changes
Effective 1 October 2018, mandatory HMO licensing has been extended to most Houses in Multiple Occupation
(HMOs) that are occupied by five or more people who are not all related, and where there is some sharing of facilities. The scheme was previously restricted to properties that were three or more storeys in height.
It’s important to note that government have excluded multi-occupied self-contained flats within purpose-built blocks that contain three or more self-contained flats. These flats will not require a licence under the mandatory HMO licensing scheme even if occupied by five or more people (although they could be included within an additional or selective licensing scheme).
As an example, a self-contained flat occupied by five unrelated people needs a mandatory HMO licence if it is on the ground floor of a two-storey converted house but not if it is on the twentieth floor of a purpose built high rise block.
These new rules are expected to bring 160,000 to 180,000 properties within the scope of licensing for the first time. There is no grace period, and all applications should have been submitted by 1 October 2018.
Contact Us here for more information : Telephone 020 8598 9151 or email us here