A house is in multiple occupation if it fulfils both of the following criteria:

• Kitchen, bathroom, or toilet facilities are shared with other tenants.
• At least three tenants live there, forming more than one household.

A single household is defined as the following:

• Two people who are married or cohabiting – including people in same sex relationships
• Relatives or half relatives including aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and siblings
• Step parents and step children

For HMO purposes, members of the same family are considered to constitute one household. This can include parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, nieces, nephews, cousins, adopted children, stepchildren, and half blood relatives. Couples who live together are also considered to constitute one household regardless of marital status and gender.

A large HMO is defined as the following:

• At least five tenants living there, forming more than one household
• Toilet, bathroom, and kitchen facilities are shared

Both HMOs and Large HMOs are subject to specific rules and standards which vary by council. Please see below links to the website of Westminster and Camden Councils about HMOs, these two boroughs cover most of the core areas which RIB operates in.

• Westminster Council
• Camden Council

If the property you are looking at or the property we are marketing on your behalf is not in one of these two boroughs, we would be happy to provide you with the necessary information relating to the borough your property is in.