HMO licenses issued from 1 October 2018 now contain the following conditions on minimum room sizes:

• that the floor area of any room in the HMO used as sleeping accommodation by one person aged over 10 years is not less than 6.51 square metres;
• that the floor area of any room in a HMO used as sleeping accommodation by two persons aged over 10 years is not less than 10.22 square metres;
• that the floor area of any room in a HMO used as sleeping accommodation by one person aged under 10 years is not less than 4.64 square metres;
• that any room in a HMO with a floor area of less than 4.64 square metres is not used as sleeping accommodation.

These minimum sleeping accommodation floor areas have to be within the same room and two smaller rooms cannot be combined to provide sleeping accommodation that provides the minimum requirements.

If your HMO licence was issued before 1 October 2018 these conditions do not currently apply to your HMO. However, on renewal of your licence the same minimum room size conditions will apply.

It is a criminal offence to be a person having control of or managing a licensable HMO without applying for licence or a temporary exemption.

For more information please contact Private Sector Housing on 01392 265147.

The full draft SI may be found here: The Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation (Mandatory Conditions of Licences) (England) Regulations 2018