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  3. Landlords
  4. Houses in Multiple Occupation

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HMO management regulations

There are additional regulations for all HMOs which impose duties on landlords and managing agents to ensure property is managed to a good standard.

The manager must ensure that common parts, fixtures, fittings and appliances are well maintained, in good repair and clean condition.

This includes:

  • water, gas and electricity supplies and drainage facilities
  • appliances such as cookers, heaters and washing machines
  • shared lighting and heating facilities, including hot water supplies
  • shared toilets, baths, sinks and basins
  • shared cooking, food storage and other installations
  • staircases, handrails, halls and landings, including floor coverings
  • windows and other means of ventilation
  • outbuildings, paths, yards and garden areas.

The manager must ensure that the living accommodation is well maintained. Each unit of living accommodation and any furniture supplied must be in a clean condition at the beginning of a tenancy. The internal structure of living accommodation and any fixtures, fittings or appliances supplied within it must be maintained in good repair and clean working order. 

Safety measures

The manager must take reasonable safety measures to ensure that:

  • tenants are protected from injury 
  • any fire escapes are free from obstruction and in good order 
  • the fire alarm system and any fire-fighting equipment provided are maintained in good order.

Supply and maintenance of gas and electricity 

  • the supplies of gas or electricity must not be interrupted unless there is good reason
  • the latest Gas Safe appliance test certificate for the HMO must be supplied to the council within seven days of a written request
  • every fixed electrical installation must be inspected and tested at intervals not exceeding five years by a person qualified to undertake such inspection and testing. A certificate specifying the results of the test must be obtained from the qualified person and supplied to the council within seven days of receiving a written request.

Provision of information for tenants

A notice must be displayed in the HMO giving the name, address and telephone number of the manager so that residents have someone to contact.

Waste disposal facilities

An adequate number of bins for refuse disposal must be provided. The manager must make sure that rubbish does not accumulate and should arrange for the disposal of refuse and litter according to the services provided by the council.

Legal references

If in doubt, please refer directly to the HMO management regulations that apply to buildings converted into self-contained flats that fall within the Government's HMO definition (PDF) and here for all other HMOs (PDF). 

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