A HMO (house in multiple occupancy) consists of three or more people living together as two or more households, usually sharing facilities such as kitchens and/or bathrooms. It could be a bedsit, shared house or a flat.
What is a household?
The following are households according to the Housing Act 2004.
Members of the same family living together including:
- Couples that are married, in a civil partnership or living together
- Relatives and half relatives living together, including parents, grandparents, children, step children, foster children, grandchildren, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, nephews, nieces, or cousins.
This means three unrelated friends sharing a home together are counted as three households. A couple sharing with a third unrelated person is two households. A family renting a property is a single household. If that family has an au-pair to look after their children, that person would be included in their household.