HMO compliance services for London landlords

A House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) is a property occupied by three or more people who form two or more separate households and share facilities such as a kitchen or bathroom. Under the Housing Act 2004, a property requires a mandatory HMO licence from the local London borough when it is occupied by five or more people from two or more households over three or more storeys. Many London boroughs go further — Tower Hamlets, Newham and Southwark operate extensive additional licensing schemes covering smaller HMOs of three or four occupants, sometimes on a borough-wide basis.

The mandatory safety requirements for any licensed HMO are non-negotiable. Every property must hold a current annual gas safety certificate issued by a Gas Safe registered engineer — Prestige Engineers hold Gas Safe registration and issue CP12 certificates on the same day of inspection. An Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) is required at least every five years under the 2020 Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector Regulations, though many London borough HMO licences specify a three-year cycle. All remedial works classified C1 (immediate danger) or C2 (potential danger) identified in the EICR must be rectified before the certificate can be marked satisfactory.

Fire safety obligations for HMOs go well beyond those for single-household lets. Hard-wired interlinked smoke alarms must be installed on every storey of the property, with heat detectors in every kitchen. Common areas require fire doors fitted with self-closing devices, and larger HMOs need emergency lighting in corridors, stairwells and landings. PAT testing covers all landlord-supplied appliances. Because London's 33 boroughs each set their own additional licensing conditions, a compliance programme that satisfies one borough may fall short of another's requirements — we know each borough's specific obligations and advise landlords accordingly.

Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, a written fire risk assessment is a legal requirement for the common parts of all HMOs — the hallways, stairwells, landings and any shared rooms. The assessment must identify fire hazards, evaluate the risk to occupants, and document the control measures in place. Prestige Engineers provides written FRAs in the format accepted by the London Fire Brigade, covering detection systems, means of escape, fire-fighting equipment and management procedures. The assessment must be reviewed whenever there is a material change to the property or its occupancy, not simply at fixed intervals.

The consequences of non-compliance are severe. Operating an unlicensed HMO exposes a landlord to a civil penalty notice of up to £30,000 issued by the local authority. Separately, tenants in an unlicensed HMO can apply to the First-tier Tribunal for a Rent Repayment Order — requiring the landlord to repay up to 12 months of rent received while the property was unlicensed. In the most serious cases, local authorities can pursue criminal prosecution under the Housing Act 2004.

For portfolio landlords managing multiple HMOs across London, keeping track of certificate renewal dates across different boroughs is a significant administrative burden. Our ongoing HMO compliance management service removes that burden entirely. We track all renewal dates for gas safety certificates, EICRs and fire risk assessments across your portfolio, arrange inspections proactively before certificates expire, carry out any required remedial works, and provide a compliance dashboard showing the current status of every property. With over 60 Checkatrade reviews and 120 MyBuilder reviews — 180 verified reviews in total — landlords across London trust us to keep their HMOs fully compliant.