HMO minimum room size standards

HMO minimum room size standards are the legal lower limits for how small a sleeping room in a licensed House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) can be. They are designed to prevent overcrowding and unsafe, cramped accommodation.

In England, national rules say that any room used as sleeping accommodation must usually be at least:

• 6.51 m² for one person aged 10 or over.

• 10.22 m² for two people aged 10 or over.

• 4.64 m² for one child under 10.

Rooms below 4.64 m² must not be used as a bedroom at all. Local authorities can set higher minimums as licence conditions, and often do, especially for smaller HMOs or where layouts are awkward.

From a landlord’s perspective, you must measure rooms accurately, allow for sloping ceilings or restricted head height, and make sure your HMO licence application and plans are honest and up to date. Letting rooms below the minimum, or squeezing in extra occupiers, can lead to licence breaches, civil penalties, rent repayment orders and problems obtaining possession after the Renters’ Rights Act is enacted.

Professional HMO landlords plan occupancy around these standards, keep clear records of measurements, and factor any required reconfiguration or de-occupation of tiny rooms into their financial modelling of HMOs.

Also read our landlord blog articles on:

• What is an HMO and when do I need a licence?

• Is your property actually an HMO? You might be surprised

Also see our free landlord calculators:

• HMO Calculator