HMO room size and amenity checker
Check if your HMO needs a licence, if every bedroom is big enough, and how many bathrooms, toilets and kitchens you need.
What is an HMO?
A house in multiple occupation (HMO) is a home where 3 or more people live as 2 or more households and share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet. A household is one person, a couple or a family. Three friends sharing a house are three households.
This checker covers England. Wales and Scotland have their own rules.
Mandatory, additional and selective licensing
Mandatory licence: needed by law when 5 or more people live in the HMO, forming 2 or more households. It applies whatever the number of storeys. Purpose-built flats in a block of 3 or more flats are not covered.
Additional licence: a council can require smaller HMOs in its area to be licensed too, often those with 3 or 4 people.
Selective licence: some councils license every privately rented home in an area, HMO or not. Check your council before anyone moves in.
Minimum bedroom sizes
Every mandatory HMO licence in England sets these minimum floor areas for a room used for sleeping: 6.51 m² for 1 person over 10, 10.22 m² for 2 people over 10, and 4.64 m² for 1 child under 10.
A room under 4.64 m² can't be used for sleeping at all, and the licence holder must tell the council about it. Many councils use the same sizes for additional licences.
Sloping ceilings and odd-shaped rooms
Floor where the ceiling is lower than 1.5 m doesn't count towards the room size. Measure only the part where the ceiling is 1.5 m or higher.
For an L-shaped room or one with a sloping ceiling, work out the usable floor area and use the floor area option instead of length and width.
Bathrooms, toilets and kitchens
The law says an HMO must have an adequate number of bathrooms, toilets, wash basins and kitchen facilities for the people sharing them. It doesn't set a number, so each council sets its own standard.
Most councils use one of each for every 5 people or part of 5, and want a toilet in its own room when 5 people share. Typical council standard — check your council. Find your council
| People sharing | Bathrooms | Toilets | Cookers | Sinks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | 1 | 1 (can be in the bathroom) | 1 | 1 |
| 5 | 1 | 1, in a separate room with a basin | 1 | 1 |
| 6 to 10 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 11 to 15 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
What if a room is too small?
The council will make it a licence condition that the room isn't used for sleeping, or not by that many people. Breaking a licence condition is a criminal offence and can lead to a fine or a civil penalty.
If the council finds a room too small when it grants your first licence (one granted from 1 October 2018), it can give you up to 18 months, by notice, to put it right. It isn't automatic: the time is whatever the council's notice says.
Common questions
- What is the minimum bedroom size in an HMO?
- 6.51 m² for 1 person over 10, 10.22 m² for 2 people over 10, and 4.64 m² for 1 child under 10. A room under 4.64 m² can't be used for sleeping. These are conditions of every mandatory HMO licence in England.
- Does floor under a sloping ceiling count?
- No. Any floor where the ceiling is lower than 1.5 m doesn't count towards the room size.
- When does an HMO need a mandatory licence?
- When 5 or more people live there, forming 2 or more households, and they share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet. A couple or a family counts as one household. Purpose-built flats in a block of 3 or more flats are not covered, but your council may still license them.
- How many bathrooms and kitchens does an HMO need?
- The law only says "adequate" for the number sharing. Most councils want one bathroom, toilet, cooker and sink for every 5 people or part of 5, and a toilet in its own room when 5 people share. Typical council standard — check your council. Find your council
- Does an en-suite count?
- Councils usually leave out people with their own en-suite when they work out how many shared bathrooms you need. This checker counts everyone, so your council's number may be lower. Typical council standard — check your council. Find your council
- Do children count?
- Yes. Everyone who lives there counts towards the licence test, children included. A child under 10 needs a bedroom of at least 4.64 m²; anyone over 10 needs the adult size. The law doesn't say what applies at exactly 10, so ask your council if a child is 10.
- Does this apply in Wales or Scotland?
- No. This checker covers England only. Wales and Scotland have their own HMO licensing rules, so check with the local council there.
- Is my data stored?
- No. We don't save the rooms or counts you enter. If you choose to save a licence reminder, only the expiry date carries into Portfoliq when you sign up or sign in.
Sources
- The Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation (Prescribed Description) (England) Order 2018, article 4
- The Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation (Mandatory Conditions of Licences) (England) Regulations 2018, regulation 2
- The Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (England) Regulations 2006
- The Licensing and Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation and Other Houses (Miscellaneous Provisions) (England) Regulations 2006, Schedule 3 (as amended by SI 2007/1903)
- Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015, as amended in 2022
- The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, regulation 36
- The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020
- The Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) (England and Wales) Regulations 2015
- Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, article 9
- GOV.UK: House in multiple occupation licence
- GOV.UK: Find your local council
Checked against the legislation on 29 October 2026. A checker, not an inspection or legal advice.
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