How many lodgers can I have in my house?

When you take in more than two lodgers HMO rules may apply. 

When does a property become an HMO?

It’s a common misconception that HMO regulations only apply to flatshares where the landlord doesn’t live in the property. A property may be classed as an HMO if it’s occupied by three or more people forming more than one ‘household’ (for example, people who aren't members of the same family or living together as a couple), who share facilities like the bathroom and kitchen.

It’s possible to have an HMO when you’re a live-in landlord too, though.

In this setup, you can often have two lodgers before your property is classified as an HMO – but when it gets to three or more HMO rules may apply. 

HMO licences

If you’re renting a property out to five or more people, with shared toilet, bathroom or kitchen facilities, this is a large HMO and will require an HMO licence. Some councils also operate additional licensing schemes that require smaller HMOs to be licensed too, so it's worth checking your council’s website to see if these additional rules apply in your borough.

An HMO licence is valid for five years – after this point you must renew it.

Safety in HMOs

HMOs are at a greater risk from fires, so it’s important for HMO landlords to put in appropriate fire safety systems and regularly maintain fire alarms. You should send a gas certificate to the council every year and provide safety certificates for all electrical appliances when requested.

Will having an HMO change my Rent a Room scheme allowance?

The Rent a Room scheme allows live-in landlords to earn £7,500 of tax-free income every year, by letting a spare room out in their property.

As a live-in landlord, you don’t get the £7,500 tax-free allowance per lodger. If you earn more than this from renting rooms out in a year - no matter how many lodgers you have - you’ll need to declare anything above the £7,500 for tax.

For more information on HMOs read our HMO Guide for landlords.