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HMO definitions

The Housing Act 2004 specifies what is a House in Multiple Occupation for the purposes of HMO management and licensing. It creates an overall definition of an HMO but only those on 3 or more storeys with 5 or more tenants sharing some facilities will have to be licensed.

Certain HMOs require planning permission. The type of HMO that this applies to is different from the definition in the Housing Act. The Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987 contains more details.

Landlords of some HMOs have to pay the Council Tax for that property. The regulations putting this responsibility on landlords are contained in the Council Tax (Liability for Owners) Regulations 1992 as amended in 1993.

The definitions of HMO for these three areas of legislation are slightly different and can cause confusion. A property could be an HMO for one purpose, but not another.

Log in for detailed information on:

• HMO definition for licensing and management standards
• HMO definition for planning
• HMO definition for council tax