HMO stands for a House in Multiple Occupancy – in the simplest terms, this is normally a house that is shared by 3 or more unrelated people. Most typically these properties are used by students and professional people.

HMOs will consist of bedrooms and communal spaces for the occupants to enjoy a shared living accommodation. Each Local Authority will have their own set standards for HMOs – such as bedroom sizes, the number of bathrooms and communal space size – however, if the property is large enough some may also contain ensuites, study areas or even cinema rooms.

HMOs are also broken into two different categories based on the number of occupants: Small HMO (C4 class) 3-6 occupants and Large HMO (sui generis) 7 or more.