Standards for private rented housing
We can give advice on the standards that your property needs to meet when you rent it out. These include:
- Fire precaution standards in houses in multiple
occupation (HMOs). Learn more about this from www.homestamp.com.
New national guidance on fire safety in residential accommodation was formally launched by the government on 23 July 2008. The guidance will apply nationally and covers certain existing residential accommodation including single family dwellings, shared houses, bedsits and flats. It is not aimed at new housing built to modern building regulations. The guidance adopts a risk-based approach to fire safety that will satisfy both the Housing Act 2004 and the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. It includes guidance to landlords on how to carry out a fire risk assessment. The guidance will be equally relevant to landlords, managing agents, local councils and fire and rescue authorities. The guidance will apply to both the private and social housing sectors. To download a PDF version of the guidance free of charge, please visit the LACORS (Local Authority Coordinators of Regulatory Services) website www.lacors.gov.uk. Hard copies of the guidance are also available to purchase for £10.00 a copy with free postage and packing - Regaining possession at the end of the tenancy
(more information on this coming soon) - Gas safety
- Planning permission and regulations.
If you own or manage one or more houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) then take a look at 'Standards for HMOs' at the bottom of this page.
This document sets out the required physical and management standards for HMOs of all different types. Click on any of the headings on the index page to be taken straight to that section:Category A - Bedsits, page 9
Category B - Shared houses and flats, page 18
Category C - Halls of Residence, page 29
Category D - Hostels and Bed and Breakfasts, page 38
Category F - Self-contained flats, page 50.
We would like to hear any comments you have on the Standards for HMOs document, so please email us at houenforcement@birmingham.gov.uk to let us know your thoughts.
Please note that following the introduction of new regulations on 1 October 2007, local authorities now have more discretion over the standards applied to HMOs with regard to washing, bathing and toilet facilities. The main effect of these changes is that:
- wash hand basins will no longer generally be required in the bedrooms of shared houses (category B HMOs)
- it will no longer be required to provide at least one WC that is separate from a bathroom, provided there are sufficient WCs and bathrooms as set out in the standards document.
For more information, please contact private rented housing services.
You can also get advice and information from: