Glossary
HMOs: licensing and planning for shared London homes
A property shared by three or more unrelated tenants. Often subject to additional licensing and planning restrictions (see Article 4).
A property shared by three or more unrelated tenants. Often subject to additional licensing and planning restrictions (see Article 4).
An HMO is a property occupied by three or more people forming more than one household who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet. A large HMO — five or more occupants across two or more households — requires a mandatory licence from the council regardless of the number of storeys.
These are two separate regimes and both can apply. Mandatory licensing under the Housing Act 2004 covers HMOs with five or more occupiers; many London boroughs have additional or selective licensing schemes that reach smaller properties. Planning permission is a different question, governed by use class.
A three-to-six person HMO is use class C4, and converting from C3 is permitted development nationally — but that right is removed by Article 4 direction across much of London. Seven or more occupiers is sui generis and always needs permission.
Mandatory licence conditions set minimum room sizes: 6.51 m² for one person over ten, 10.22 m² for two, and 4.64 m² for a child under ten. Rooms below 4.64 m² cannot be used as sleeping accommodation at all. Boroughs add their own amenity standards for kitchens, bathrooms and communal space.
Interlinked mains-powered smoke detection throughout, 30-minute fire doors to risk rooms, a protected escape route, and emergency lighting in larger properties. The licensing authority inspects against LACORS fire safety guidance, which is more demanding than Approved Document B alone for shared housing.
A worked Wandsworth example of house in multiple occupation (hmo): with 45 conservation areas — the Wandsworth Common Conservation Area and the Clapham Common West Conservation Area among the best known — London Borough of Wandsworth (Wandsworth Council) sees house in multiple occupation (hmo) constantly, and an Article 4 direction is in force there, so permitted development cannot be assumed. Where house in multiple occupation (hmo) pushes a Wandsworth scheme out of permitted development, the route becomes a £548 application decided in 8 weeks rather than a £249 prior approval in 6 weeks.
| Definition | 3+ occupiers, 2+ households, shared amenities |
|---|---|
| Mandatory licence | 5+ occupiers |
| Use class, 3–6 occupiers | C4 |
| 7+ occupiers | Sui generis |
| Minimum room, one adult | 6.51 m² |
| Fire guidance | LACORS, plus Approved Document B |
In most of London yes, because Article 4 has removed the permitted C3 to C4 change.
No. Licensing and planning are separate and both may be required.
6.51 m² for a single adult occupier under the mandatory licence conditions.
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