What is a HMO?
A HMO (House in Multiple Occupation) is when you have a minimum of 3 people in 2 households living together who are sharing amenities. The property will require a mandatory license if there are 5 or more people in 2 or more households. However, the council introduced Additional Licensing borough wide on the 1st October 2024. This means that you will need a licence even if there are only 3 people in 2 households. For more information, please visit our Additional Licensing page.
Find out more about HMO legislation.
To be classed as a HMO, a building or part of, must fall into one of these categories:
- A building or flat in which more than one household shares a basic amenity, e.g. bathroom, toilet or cooking facilities. This is known as the 'standard test' or the 'self-contained flat test'.
- A building that has been converted and does not entirely comprise of self-contained flats. This is known as the 'converted building test'.
- A building that is declared a HMO by the local authority.
- A converted block of flats where the standard of the conversion does not meet the relevant building standards and fewer than two-thirds of the flats are owner-occupied.
There are 3 main types of HMOs:
- Shared Housing. For example, a group of friends or students move into a property. They have their own bedrooms, but they will share any kitchens and/or bathrooms. They are often on the same tenancy agreement which means that they will move in and out of the property at the same time.
- Bedsit Accommodation. This is where rooms are let to tenants individually, and don't know each other. The tenants have their own tenancy agreements which means that they will move in and out of the property at different times. Even though some won't be sharing, there may be some element of sharing either kitchens or bathrooms or both.
- Studio Accommodation. This is where the room a tenant occupies has all the amenities, they need behind their own front door, although it may be in a block of flats, converted house or building. These properties must meet the minimum sizes in order to be classed as self-contained by planning. Please contact the planning authority for further advice on requirements for self-contained flats.
You can ask us any questions about this through email: landlord_licensing@sandwell.gov.uk
Please note that the type of HMO that you have, or plan on having, may affect the type of fire protection you need. It is also extremely important that you are familiar with what is required in HMOs, this may include: Additional Fire Precautions, Minimum Room Sizes, Additional Amenities and Management Regulations compliance.
Failure to comply with any of these HMO Standards could result in an unlimited fine or a Civil Penalty of £1000 per offence.
Please click here to find out which team manages Private Sector Housing disrepairs and HMO Licensing