Houses in Multiple Occupation

There are around 2000 houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) in Swansea, many of which are located in the two central wards of Castle and Uplands.

What is an HMO?

The Housing Act 2004 defines a HMO as a property that is:

• occupied by 3 or more people, forming 2 or more households, sharing amenities e.g. bathroom and kitchen facilities, or
• converted into self-contained flats, but does not meet the requirements of the 1991 Building Regulations and less than two thirds of the flats are owner occupied, or 
• occupied by 3 or more people, forming 2 or more households in a converted building that is not entirely self-contained. e.g. a basement flat with shared accommodation with a maisonette at ground & first/second floor levels.

What is a single household?

Section 258 of the Housing Act 2004 specifies when persons are to be regarded as not forming a single household.

To count as a single household, persons must be members of the same family. This includes:

• married couples, or those living as husband and wife, including those in an equivalent same sex relationship; or
• where one of them is a relative of the other.

'Relative' includes parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, nephew, niece or cousin, and half relatives, step-children and foster children.

A single household also includes any domestic staff if they are living rent free in accommodation provided by their employer.

What conditions apply to HMOs?

Some HMOs need to be licensed.  You can read more about HMO licensing here.

You can apply and pay online for these applications.  Links to the application form as well as information about the licence and fees are available on the House in multiple occupancy (HMO) licence page. This is part of the EU Services Directive.

As with all rented accommodation, HMO landlords need to ensure that their properties are in good repair and well managed. 

Landlords also need to consider the issue of fire safety.  Due to the way in which they are occupied, often by people who do not know each other, there is a greater risk of a fire in an HMO than in other houses.  Additional measures such as fire doors, half an hour separation between rooms, fire alarm systems and fire extinguishers will be required in some HMOs.

In 2009, the requirements for fire safety measures were reviewed following the publication of new fire safety guidance in England.

Welsh councils have adopted their own interpretation of this guidance which applies to all rented accommodation: rented family or single person homes and HMOs (whether they need to be licensed or not). You can view our Quick Reference Guide from the download to the right of this page.

Just what is required for each HMO is based on a risk assessment made by one of our officers when they inspect the property.  This is based on the size and layout of the property and how it is occupied.

There should also be suitable and sufficient kitchen and bathroom facilities.

What about HMOs that don't meet the standards?

If you are a tenant living in an HMO you should always try and resolve any problems with the landlord or manager. They should deal with necessary repairs or maintenance issues and they also have to comply with regulations relating to the management of the property.

If you've contacted your landlord or manager and there are still problems then you can contact the Council's Environment Department. We will contact the landlord or manager and, depending on your complaint, we will then visit and inspect your property. We will try and resolve any issues informally, but we may also serve a legal enforcement notice on the landlord or manager requiring them to do work within a certain time period. If we do this we'll give you the details and check that the work is completed.

We may consider prosecuting anyone who doesn't comply with a legal notice.

If you're a student you may also find that the Students' Union or Advice Centre may by able to help you, especially if your query is about your tenancy agreement. Make sure that you're happy with the property and the contents of your tenancy agreement before you sign!

Don't forget that as an occupier in an HMO you also have responsibilities. You need to make sure that you look after the property and anything provided for your safety, such as fire alarms and extinguishers. Don't prop fire doors open and make sure you keep the place clean and tidy. Put your rubbish and recycling out on the correct days in the correct coloured bags and at the right time and report any problems as soon as you find them.

If your landlord or manager makes an appointment to come and check the property, make sure you keep it or let them know in plenty of time if you need to change the time or date. That's the same advice for any appointments that Council officers make to come and inspect the property.

What about converting a property to an HMO?

If you own, or are thinking of buying, a property and are proposing to convert it to an HMO we offer an advisory service.  For a fee of £200 an officer from the HMO team can inspect the property and give you a schedule of work for you to consider.  There is no obligation on you to complete the work if the property is not subsequently multi-occupied. 

If you are considering two possible options for the property, perhaps either as a shared house or bedsits or two possible layouts for creating additional bathroom facilities, the officer can give you two schedules for an increased fee of £250.

You can download an application form for the advisory service from the right. Please indicate whether you wish to consider one or two schemes and include the relevant fee.

You should be aware that some conversions will need Planning and/ or Building Regulations approval and you will need to seek advice from the relevant officers.