HMOs in Leeds (House Share Leeds / Flat Share Leeds)
New rules to protect tenants who share rented accommodation (house share / flat share) with more than four other people who aren't family members came into force in April, but landlords were given three months grace to apply for house / flat share licences.
Under the rules all properties involved in house share / flat share with three or more storeys and that are let to at least five tenants from more than two families, have to be house share licensed by the local authority.
Department for communities and local government web site defines a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) also known as flat shares / house shares as:
- An entire house or flat which is let to / shared by 3 or more tenants who form 2 or more households and who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet.
- A house which has been converted entirely into bedsits or other non-self-contained accommodation and which is let to / shared by 3 or more tenants who form two or more households and who share kitchen, bathroom or toilet facilities.
- A converted house which contains one or more flats which are not wholly self contained (ie the house share does not contain within it a kitchen, bathroom and toilet) and which is occupied by 3 or more tenants who form two or more households.
- A building which is converted entirely into self-contained flats if the conversion did not meet the standards of the 1991 Building Regulations and more than one-third of the flats are let on short-term tenancies.
In order to be an HMO / house share / shared house the property must be used as the tenants’ only or main residence and it should be used solely or mainly to house tenants. Shared houses / properties let to students and migrant workers will be treated as their only or main residence and the same will apply to properties which are used as domestic refuges.
To get a licence, the property / house share will need to meet minimum standards in terms of the number of bathrooms, cooking and laundry facilities, and the landlord will need to prove he or she is fit to manage it. The government is concerned that while HMOs (house share / flat share) provide affordable shared housing for many young and vulnerable tenants, they are often in poor condition and are poorly managed. Local authorities can set their own prices for the house share licences, and fees reportedly range from £100 to £1,000.
We offer Leeds landlords of professional and student houses in Leeds a service, whereby we take away all the hassle of house share licensing their Leeds property. We would take care of all the required paperwork, including the drawing of floor plans and production of potential health hazard report.
