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.
| 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 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 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