HMOs in Wales specifics No of occupants

[deaconj999]

Guys and Gals,

Notwithstanding all the other qualifying criteria when assessing whether a property is a HMO (LACORS, HSHRS, storeys etc), from 1st October 2010 local authorities stopped requiring blanket applications and are now required to focus their efforts on problem areas. ie LHA have different licensing conditions Mandatory and Additional.

What I am unsure of is where the number of qualifying occupants comes in. I keep seeing 5 or more and then 3 or more persons being mentioned as part of this criteria due to a house or flat share with 3 or more tenants who are not related to each other and from April 2010 a new planning use class of HMO was enacted called C4 which I think is were the 3 or more people sharing as opposed to a minimum of 6 previously comes from.

Q. For a property to be a HMO is it 3 or 5 or 6 occupants?

Any explanation on the correct figure, and particularly in Wales would be gratefully received.

[Dinnertime Dave]

Not sure if this is what you are after -

I`m not a housing officer so generally ask my local one if I`m not sure, but I have used the following flow chart to assist me -  

http://www.salford.gov.uk/d/hmodefinition1-2%281%29.pdf

As for the C4 class it is my understanding that C4 covers small shared houses that is occupied by more than 3 individuals who are not related but share amenities.

[nearlythere]

Just as a matter of interest in NI a HMO is defined in Article 143 of the Housing (NI) Order 2003 as "a house occupied by more than 2 qualifying persons, being persons who are not all members of the same family".

[Midland Retty]

Definition of HMO still is 3 or more people forming two or more "households"

So for example three brothers sharing a house is not a HMO as it is one "house-hold".

A man, and his brother (one household) and a stranger (another household) sharing a house together is three people forming two or more households. It is therefore a HMO technically.

Housing authorities generaslly are now concentrating on HMOs three storeys in height, because two storey HMOs generally (generally being a very loose term) have window escape from first floor and are deemed less risky

[Tom Sutton]

Check out http://www.landlordzone.co.uk/HMOs1.htm I find landlordzone pretty good and try http://yourhmoexpert.com/2008/09/hmo-regulations-in-a-nutshell/

[deaconj999]

Thanks all for the replies. Some good links to have a look at.