Government issues new HMO and licensing guidelines

A new guidance document has been put into effect that impacts licensing in HMO catchments. There will now be minimum sizes set when it comes to bedrooms, and if a landlord is letting to five or more tenants from different households, they must be licensed by the local housing authority. These new guidelines have been put into place in order to create more amicable relationships between landlords and tenants so that letting property is more ethical.

Key Takeaways:

• From now on, when five or more individuals are letting the same place, there needs to be licensing from the local housing authority.
• With these changes, the HMO catchment should experience 160,000 more houses that are valid under local licenses.
• Landlords will now be expected to handle garbage disposal more responsibly by managing and reducing the amount of rubbish on their property.

“Landlords letting properties to five or more people from two or more separate households must all now be licensed by their local housing authority.”

Read more: https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/government-issues-new-hmo-licensing-guidelines