HMO standards

Landlords must meet minimum standards to keep your home safe and free from health hazards.

Every HMO must have acceptable space for the size of the property and number of tenants. 

Our standards are based on national guidance from the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health.

Room standards

These standards are for a maximum of five people sharing a typical house. For six or more people sharing extra facilities will be needed.

Bedroom HMO standards
Type of bedroom Minimum size
Bedroom with one person with separate living space 6.5 sqm (70 sq ft)
Bedroom with one person without separate living space 9 sqm (100 sq ft)
Bedroom with two people with separate living space 10 sqm (110 sq ft)
Bedroom with two people without separate living space 14 sqm (150 sq ft)

Bedrooms must also have at least four double power outlets, or three if they have USB ports. Living rooms must have at least three double power outlets.

Kitchen HMO standards
Kitchen equipment Minimum size
Cooker Hob with four hot plates plus oven and grill
Work surface area Sink with drainer and hot and cold water
Fridge freezer

One fridge freezer at least 550mm wide x 1500mm tall or one undercounter fridge and one undercounter freezer
Food storage 500mm width base cupboard or equivalent size wall cupboard per person
Bathroom HMO standards
Bathroom facilities Minimum size
Bath or shower One standard size bath or a shower
Toilet One toilet
Hand basin Hand basin with hot and cold water

Bins and waste standards

Landlords must supply appropriate bins and sacks at the start of the tenancy (and replace them where needed). This includes:

  • a blue lidded bin (240L)
  • a red lidded bin (180L)
  • a black lidded bin (180L)
  • two silver caddies for food waste (23L and 5L)
  • full details of bin collections and recycling information

Where there is nowhere to store bins, or for properties that already have a purple sack collection, we will provide a roll of purple sacks per quarter. 

Landlords must also provide:

  • a red lidded box (55L) for paper and cardboard
  • a blue lidded box (55L) for cans, plastic and glass
  • an extra three rolls of purple sacks per quarter if there are six or more tenants