Improving standards in
HMOs
The council has a wide range of
powers it can use to ensure that HMO provide safe accommodation for
its occupiers.
The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) is
a risk assessment that all councils are required to use to
determine whether there are any unacceptable health and safety
hazards present within all types of private rented housing. Where
unacceptable hazards are found, the council will take proportionate
action to ensure that occupiers are living in safe
accommodation.
All larger HMO are required to be licensed with the council under
the
Mandatory HMO Licensing Scheme. Licensing aims to improve the
management of these HMO and hence improve the health, safety and
welfare of tenants.
All HMO landlords are required to comply with regulations detailing
certain management duties when running a HMO. Where landlords fail
to ensure that they manage their properties appropriately, they
risk a fine of up to £5,000 for every breach of the
regulations.
Also, every type of rented property is subject to a range of other
requirements, covering gas safety, furniture fire safety,
overcrowding, public health, statutory nuisance to name a few, and
where these requirements are not met, the council is often able to
require the landlord to remedy the fault or omission.
Councils also have the power to take over the management of certain
HMO where it is required to safeguard the tenants. These
'management orders' are also required to be implemented where
landlords have failed to licence their HMO.