New minimum HMO room sizes for landlords revealed

Following on from the government’s announcement for a national mandatory HMO licensing scheme, comes news of new minimum room size requirements for HMO rental properties.
The government says this will help reduce the issues of over-crowding and also deal with poor behaviour from tenants.
However, the aim is to create another tool to help crackdown on rogue landlords from exploiting their tenants will small, overcrowded properties.
The Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) says that a room used by one adult living in an HMO to sleep in must not be smaller than 6.51 square metres.
For a room to be used by two adults to sleep in, it must not be smaller than 10.22 square metres.
Also, for a room that is used by a child of 10 years and younger should be at least 4.64 square metres.
While these new rules are not yet law, it is expected that they will be in place from spring.
‘Demand for HMOs is being exploited by opportunist rogue landlords’
The DCLG says: “Increasing HMOs demand is being exploited by rogue landlords. Typical poor practice will include overcrowding, failing to meet health and safety standards and poor management of tenant behaviour.”
The government department also says there are issues with landlords providing homes for illegal immigrants and intimidating tenants when they are raising a legitimate concern.
The Department added: “These rogue landlords feel the business risks for managing their accommodation poorly are being outweighed by the financial rewards.
“Tenants are being exploited and communities are being blighted through not storing rubbish properly, for example, as well as anti-social behaviour and excessive noise.
“Though there's a minority of landlords involved, their impact is are disproportionate and put the welfare and the safety of tenants at risk and affect adversely local communities.”
Top rental searches revealed by right move
Meanwhile, Rightmove has revealed the places that prospective tenants using its website were looking for rental properties in.
The top 10 most searched locations for rental property in 2017 saw Bristol take the top spot. It was also the number one destination for property buyers as well with letting and estate agents in the city saying interest in living there has grown over the past year with the area offering lots to enjoy.
The top 10 also sees Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester with Nottingham making up the top five.
The other locations include Liverpool, Glasgow, Cambridge and then Bournemouth as well as Sheffield creating the property portal’s top 10.