You are responsible for your tenants
As a landlord, you need to know that you are responsible for your tenants. A landlord for an HMO in the UK has to follow extra legal responsibilities as prescribed by the government of the UK.
There are a set of rules and regulations that need to be strictly adhered to in order to ensure to maintain to keep HMOs. These extra rules are there in order to reduce the risk of any hazards such as fire and to make sure that all people living in shared houses or flats have adequate facilities.
What do you need to know?
Extra responsibilities of HMO landlords include making sure that proper fire safety measures are in place; which is inclusive of working smoke alarms and fire extinguishers. There have to be routine annual gas safety checks to make sure there are no leaking gas issues that may be hazardous to the occupants. The electric system needs to be checked every 5 years, including the in-built appliances. HMO rules come with strict criteria for the number of people that are to occupy a certain number and size of rooms in a home. It is to be ensured that the property is not overcrowded. Another one of the concerns of the landlords must be taking care of the bathroom and cooking facilities. This is to make sure that there are enough cooking and bathroom facilities; in accord to the number of occupants. The communal areas and shared rooms are to be cleaned regularly. All the repairs and fixes are the responsibility of the landlord in an HMO. Sufficient waste disposal systems and rubbish bags are to be provided to all the tenants.
These are just few of the things that need to be kept in mind when you wish to invest into the HMO business. You must remember one thing as a landlord – YOUR TENANTS ARE YOUR RESPONSIBILITY!