HMO standards
Lodging houses
These are where a resident owner lets one or two rooms, usually providing meals.
Space standards
Bedrooms
All bedrooms to be as follows:
- 1 person - 6.5 square metres
- 2 persons - 10 square metres
- 3 persons - 16.5 square metres
- 4 persons - 21 square metres
Common rooms
All common living rooms to be as follows:
- 1 person - 11 square metres
- 2 persons - 16.5 square metres
- 3 persons - 21.5 square metres
- 4 persons - 25 square metres
Dining rooms and kitchens
Should comply with the requirements of the Food Hygiene (General) Regulations 1970.
Natural lighting
All habitable rooms shall be provided with an area of clear glazing situated in either a window and/or a door, equivalent in total area to at least 1 tenth of the floor area of the room.
Underground rooms used as habitable rooms shall comply with paragraphs 7 and 8 of Model Regulations-Series XXII.
All kitchens, bathrooms and water closet compartments shall comply with the information on habitable rooms above. Where this is not practicable, adequate artificial lighting shall be provided in accordance with the requirements of part C, to the satisfaction of the Head of Community Services. All glazing to windows in bathrooms and water closet compartments shall be obscure.
All staircases, landings and passages shall be provided with an area of clear glazing in a window. Where this is not practicable, adequate artificial lighting shall be provided in accordance with the requirements of part C, to the satisfaction of the Head of Community Services.
Artificial lighting
All habitable rooms, kitchens, bathrooms, water closet compartments, staircases, landings and passages shall be adequately lighted by electricity.
Time switches should only be allowed in common landings, passages and staircases and should stay on for an adequate time to allow a person to climb stairs etc., and enter a room.
There should be sufficient switches to operate the artificial lighting on each landing, corridor or passage and each switch should allow adequate lengths of corridors, passages and stairways to be illuminated at the same time.
Ventilation
All habitable rooms, kitchens, bathrooms and water closet compartments shall have a minimum floor to ceiling height of 2.3 metres (7'6"), except in the case of existing underground rooms, which shall have a minimum height of 2.14 metres (7'0") and attic rooms, which shall have a minimum height of 2.3 metres over an area of the floor equal to not less than half of the area of the room, measured on a plane 1.5 metres (5'0") above the floor.
All habitable rooms shall be ventilated directly to the external air by a window, the openable area of which shall be equivalent to at least 1 twentieth of the floor area of the room. Neither an openable door giving access directly to the external air nor a louvered opening in such a door will be acceptable for the purpose of this requirement.
Underground rooms used as habitable rooms shall comply with paragraphs 7 and 8 of Model Regulations-Series XXII.
All bathrooms and water closet compartments shall comply with with the information on all habitable rooms above but where this is not practicable, mechanical ventilation providing a minimum of three air changes per hour shall be provided. Such an installation shall be fitted with an overrun device for a minimum of 20 minutes and be connected to the lighting circuit of the room.
Kitchens shall comply with the requirements of the Food Hygiene (General) Regulations 1970.
Permanent means of ventilation in the form of a flue, airbrick, hit and miss ventilator or louvered window shall be provided in all dining/kitchens, kitchens, bathrooms, water closet compartments, and any other rooms containing either cooking and/or washing facilities.
Water supply
A supply of cold running water suitable for drinking purposes shall be provided for the use of the occupants at each washing point, and in the kitchen. Where the supply is provided at a common washing point, the tap shall be marked 'Drinking Water'.
All water supply shall be suitably protected from damage by frost.
Personal washing facilities
Each bedroom/study room, not occupied by the owner and his/her family, shall be provided with a wash hand basin together with its own continuous supplies of hot and cold running water, situated within the unit of accommodation, and of minimum dimension 560 mm x 430 mm.
Shared facilities will be accepted where there are two or less occupiers in addition to the owner-occupier and his/her family. Where the total number in the house exceeds six, separate facilities for each occupant other than the owner and his/her family will be required in accordance with the paragraph above.
Each occupancy shall be provided with its own bath or shower each in a proper room. Where this is not practicable a readily accessible bathroom or a shower room, being not more than one floor distant from any user, shall be provided in the following ratios:
- 1-5 persons - 1 bathroom or shower room
- 6-10 persons - 2 bathrooms or shower rooms
An owner occupier and his/her family will be reckonable for this purpose.
Baths should be 1.67 metres in length. Shower trays should be 800 mm by 800 mm and of a standard compatible with the authority's renovation grant specification.
The hot and cold water supplies shall be exclusive (unless the rental or charge for accommodation includes the supply of hot water), and available at all times.
Baths and showers shall not be provided in kitchens.
Drainage and sanitary conveniences
All above and below ground drainage shall comply with the requirements of the building regulations currently in force.
Each separate occupancy shall be provided with its own water closet compartment. Where this is not practicable, a readily accessible water closet compartment, being not more than one floor distant from each user, shall be provided in the following ratios:
- 1-5 persons - 1 water closet
- 6-10 persons - 2 water closets
External water closets shall not be reckonable for this purpose.
Each shared water closet shall be situated in a room separate from the bathroom or shower room.
A wash hand basin shall be provided in each separate water closet together with its own continuous supplies of hot and cold running water. The hot and cold water supplies shall be included in the rental or charge for accommodation and available at all times.
Facilities for storage, preparation and cooking of food and for the disposal of waste water
The facilities for preparation, cooking and serving food shall comply with the Food Hygiene (General) Regulations 1970.
Facilities should be available, either separately or by use of the main kitchen, for occupants to prepare light meals and hot drinks etc. Any separate facility should comply with part H of category B.
Space heating
All habitable rooms shall be adequately heated by a fixed space heating appliance of either gas or electricity. Solid fuel should only be permitted on the ground floor where it can be shown that there is adequate fuel storage and that there will not be any risk to safety from the removal of hot ashes. Use of the appliance will be exclusive (unless included in the rental or charge for the accommodation). Portable or removable heating appliances will not be acceptable.
All heating systems shall be of a sufficient output so as to heat adequately the bedrooms and livingrooms to a temperature of 65 degrees F (18.3 degrees C) with an outside temperature of 30 degrees F (-1 degrees C).
Refuse, storage and disposal
Refuse storage containers shall be provided sufficient for the needs of the house and located on hardstanding with suitable access for cleansing of the area and removal of the container.