Do the HMO management regulations apply if my HMO is not licensed?

Yes. The Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (England) Regulations 2006 apply to every HMO in England, licensed or not, except section 257 converted blocks of flats. Breaching them is an offence with a civil penalty of up to £40,000.

How often does an HMO need a gas safety check?

At least every 12 months, by a Gas Safe registered engineer, for every gas appliance and flue. Give existing tenants a copy within 28 days and new tenants a copy before they move in, and keep each record until two further checks have been done.

How often does an HMO need an EICR?

Before the tenancy starts and then at least every 5 years, carried out by a qualified person. Give tenants a copy within 28 days and the council a copy within 7 days of a request. Remedial work must be done within 28 days, or sooner if the report says so.

What is the new HHSRS penalty?

Since 22 June 2026, councils can impose a civil penalty of up to £7,000 for a Category 1 hazard under section 6A of the Housing Act 2004, for specified purposes. Revised HHSRS regulations from 23 June 2026 cut the hazard list from 29 to 21.

HMO management duties: what the regulations require

What are the HMO Management Regulations?

The Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (England) Regulations 2006 set out what the manager of an HMO must do. They apply to every HMO in England, whether or not it needs a licence, apart from section 257 converted blocks of flats.

The manager is usually the landlord or the managing agent who collects the rent. Breaching the regulations is an offence under section 234 of the Housing Act 2004, and since 1 May 2026 the maximum civil penalty is £40,000. The duties sit alongside licence conditions, the gas, electrical and alarm rules and the council's wider housing powers.

What do regulations 3 to 9 require?

Regulation 3: providing information

Give every household the manager's name, address and telephone number, and display these details in a prominent place in the HMO.

Regulation 4: safety measures

keep the means of escape from fire free from obstruction and in good repair;
maintain fire-fighting equipment and fire alarms in good working order;
display fire escape notices where the house has more than 4 occupiers;
make unsafe roofs and balconies safe, and fit safeguards to low windows.

Regulation 5: water supply and drainage

Maintain the water supply and drainage in good, clean and working condition.

Regulation 6: gas and electricity

Give the council the latest gas safety certificate within 7 days of a request, and do not unreasonably cut off the gas or electricity supply. The old five-yearly electrical test in this regulation was removed in 2020, when the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 took over.

Regulation 7: common parts, fixtures, fittings and appliances

Keep the common parts, such as halls, stairs, shared kitchens and bathrooms, and the fixtures, fittings and appliances in them, clean, in good repair and safe.

Regulation 8: living accommodation

Maintain each occupier's own room or unit, and the fixtures and fittings supplied with it, in good repair.

Regulation 9: waste disposal

Provide suitable bins and other arrangements for disposing of household waste, having regard to the council's collection service.

What duties do HMO occupiers have?

Regulation 10 places duties on occupiers too. Broadly, occupiers must not hinder the manager in carrying out their duties, must allow access at reasonable times, must take reasonable care not to damage the property or the fire safety equipment, must dispose of rubbish in the way provided, and must follow reasonable instructions about fire safety.

Clear house rules, a welcome pack and regular inspections help occupiers meet these duties. Where an occupier keeps blocking a fire door or storing items on the escape route, record what happened and what you did about it.

What gas, electrical and alarm checks are required?

Gas. Under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, every gas appliance and flue must have a safety check by a Gas Safe registered engineer at least every 12 months. Keep each record until two further checks have been done. Give existing tenants a copy within 28 days of the check and new tenants a copy before they move in. A check done up to 2 months before the due date can keep the original anniversary date.

Electrical. Under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, a qualified person must inspect and test the fixed electrical installation before the tenancy starts and at least every 5 years, producing an electrical installation condition report (EICR). Give tenants a copy within 28 days, and the council within 7 days of a request. Carry out remedial work within 28 days, or sooner if the report says so. The maximum penalty is now £40,000.

Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. There must be a smoke alarm on every storey with living accommodation and a carbon monoxide alarm in every room with a fixed combustion appliance, other than a gas cooker. Check alarms are working on the first day of each new tenancy and repair or replace faulty alarms once you are told. For licensed HMOs, these duties apply through the licence conditions.

Our gas, electrical and alarm certificates service keeps these checks in date.

How do licence conditions add to management duties?

If the HMO is licensed, the licence conditions add to the regulations. Mandatory conditions include the national minimum room sizes, the ban on using rooms under 4.64 m² for sleeping, and the smoke and carbon monoxide alarm duties. Councils commonly add conditions about:

the maximum number of occupiers in each room and in the house;
kitchen, bathroom and fire safety provision;
providing certificates to the council on request;
waste storage and collection;
dealing with anti-social behaviour;
telling the council about changes, such as a new manager.

Breaching a licence condition is an offence with a civil penalty of up to £40,000. Keep a copy of the licence where the manager can find it, and check each condition at every inspection.

What records should an HMO manager keep?

Good records show the council, and if needed a tribunal, that duties were met. Keep:

the HMO licence and any correspondence with the council;
gas safety records, kept until two further checks have been done;
EICRs and evidence of any remedial work;
fire alarm, emergency lighting and fire equipment service records, and a test log;
the fire risk assessment and evidence of the actions taken;
inspection reports, with dates and photographs;
repair requests and how and when they were dealt with;
tenancy documents, including the written statement of terms and evidence that existing tenants received the Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet by 31 May 2026.

What changed in the HHSRS in 2026?

The housing health and safety rating system (HHSRS) is how councils assess hazards in homes. Revised regulations took effect on 23 June 2026:

the list of hazards was cut from 29 to 21, and the scoring bands were simplified;
councils must still take action on Category 1 hazards;
under a new section 6A of the Housing Act 2004, councils can impose a civil penalty of up to £7,000 for a Category 1 hazard, in force since 22 June 2026 for specified purposes.

Since 1 May 2026, councils no longer have to give 24 hours' notice before entering a private rented property. Inspections can therefore happen with less warning, which makes routine compliance more important. GOV.UK has an updated landlord and agent guide to the HHSRS.

Awaab's Law has applied to social housing since 27 October 2025 but does not yet apply to private renting. A consultation on extending it runs from 9 October to 18 December 2026, and no start date has been set.

How often should an HMO be inspected?

The regulations require the house to be kept in good repair, but they do not set a fixed inspection timetable. A regular routine helps you meet the duties and spot problems early. A typical routine includes:

frequent checks of the common parts: escape routes clear, fire doors closing fully onto their frames, self-closers in place, notices displayed and bins under control;
alarm tests and emergency lighting checks, recorded in a log;
periodic inspections of each room, with notice to the occupier;
a review of the fire risk assessment when anything changes;
a diary of certificate dates and the licence expiry.

An HMO compliance audit is a useful starting point if you have taken on a house or are not sure where you stand.

What does a managing agent take on?

A managing agent can carry out the day-to-day duties for you: letting rooms, collecting rent, arranging repairs, booking certificates, running inspections and dealing with the council. Letting and management agents must belong to a government-approved redress scheme, must belong to a client money protection scheme if they hold client money, and must publish their fees, redress scheme and client money protection scheme on their website. Under the Tenant Fees Act 2019, most fees to tenants are banned.

Using an agent does not remove the owner's exposure. Since 1 May 2026, HMO licensing offences can reach superior landlords, and rent repayment orders can be made against them. Agree in writing who does what, ask for regular reports, and check the licence and certificates yourself from time to time.

Our HMO management and HMO maintenance services are run by the same business that designs and builds HMOs, and management is quoted per property.

Sources

This guide explains the rules in England as we understood them in October 2026. It is general information, not legal or financial advice. Check with your council and take professional advice for your own situation.

HMO management duties