Local authorities 'monitoring HMOs carefully'

News Category: Legal

Local authorities in the UK have launched major surveys to try and find landlords who are operating licensable houses with multiple occupancy (HMO) illegally, an industry expert has revealed.

Emma Van Field, a spokesperson for the Local Authorities Coordinators of Regulatory Services (Lacors), explained that 86 per cent of local authorities have already started using a range of tools to identify HMOs being operated illegally without a licence.

She added: "The overall aim of HMO licensing is to improve property conditions and also management standards.

"The local authorities also have to ensure that there aren't any serious health and safety risks or hazards in the property. These get addressed by the housing health and safety rating system.

"There are licence conditions that [landlords] have to conform to. At the moment most local authorities, as the survey will show, are just dealing with initial applications but the licence conditions will be monitored."

Recently, Shelter's chief executive, Adam Sampson, said that HMOs play a vital role in providing affordable housing in the UK, but that standards had to improve.

He explained: "As rents continue to spiral, HMOs provide a vital affordable housing option for many people who would otherwise struggle to find a home."