Houses of Multiple Occupancy – HMO’s

Luna Move is an independently owned and reliable Letting Agency specialising in the management of professional HMO’s. Our courteous staff have amassed a wealth of experience in the letting and management of HMO’s and take pride in maintaining the reputation we have built.

With careful planning, adherence to strict admin and management processes, HMO’s can be great assets and a high yielding investment strategy.

What is a HMO?

A property is considered a House of Multiple Occupancy (HMO) if both of the following apply:

  • There are at least 3 tenants living in a property which form more than 1 household (i.e. not a family or couple)
  • There are shared facilities such as toilet, bathroom or kitchen

Licensing

The property would be subject to mandatory licensing if it is occupied by 5 or more people from 2 or more separate households.

Local Authorities are permitted to introduce additional licensing where other sized properties may also need to be licensed. Luna Move can advise landlords on which license their property will require as well as assisting in the application process.

Tenants

At Luna Move we understand the importance of finding the right tenant – doing so reduces the turnover of tenants and keeps voids to a minimum. We fully screen and reference all applicants, this is vital to ensure the tenancy is financially viable for the applicant. It is important to try and select tenants who will take care of the property and be considerate of others residing in the property.

Managing a HMO can be a full time job so Luna Move maintain an active hands-on approach to management; ensuring trusted relationships are built with both landlords and tenants.

Compliance

A HMO license will be granted to a landlord if the HMO property meets certain standards to ensure that it is safe and suitable for tenants. HMO’s are inspected regularly to ensure that the terms of the license are not breached.

Luna Move offer advice to HMO landlords every step of the way and oversee the process from license application to approval to management ensuring the HMO remains fully compliant with all the latest legislation.

Fire Safety

HMO’s are considered a greater fire risk than a single unit buy to let property. We will advise landlords of works that need to be carried out in order to meet the fire safety standards and to qualify for the license, examples would be the fitting of fire doors, mains connected smoke detectors, fire alarms.

Gas Safety and Electrical Safety Checks

Luna Move will ensure your annual gas safety checks are up to date and the electrical wiring and appliances have been checked and certified as safe every 5 years.

Furniture

All furniture provided must be fit for purpose and clean. Upholstered furnishings provided by a landlord must meet fire safety standards; this means any sofas, chairs or mattresses must carry the fire resistant symbol.

Waste Collection

HMO landlords must ensure their property has appropriate refuse storage and disposal facilities so waste can be stored in a tidy manner.

HMO Management

Managing HMO’s can be very time consuming, from tenant disputes to routine maintenance, viewings and change of tenancies, keeping up to date with legislation and the properties licensing conditions all take valuable time which is why an agent specialising in property management is so important to landlords.

With Luna Move you are in safe hands; you can relax and have peace of mind that your property is well managed, fully compliant and your investment is being taken care of.

Next Steps

Why not have a chat with our friendly staff to see if your property has the potential to be a HMO, our team can offer advice and guidance on a properties potential, the compliance rules and regulations and the rental return you could expect.

Perhaps you are already a landlord and are looking for help in finding the right tenants or you just want to take away the hassle of managing multiple tenants and property maintenance, we can help!

If you have any questions or would like more information on how we can help with HMO’s please contact us.