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HMO Electrical Guide for Bristol's property developers & landlords

Many landlords and property developers consider HMO's as a better financial investment that has a higher rental yield, especially in Bristol.

What is an HMO ?

A HMO (A House in Multiple Occupation) is a property that is rented by three or more tenants that are not part of the same household/family

Do you need a licence ?

One important legal aspect of a HMO is a licence which can be obtained by the local authority, for more advice please contact your local authority either Bristol City Council or South Gloucestershire Council (if your property is in Bristol)

Safety First

You have a responsibility for the safety of your tenants by means of:

• Regular maintenance of supplied electrical appliances
• Ensuring the electrical installation is safe for continued use
• Tenants needs to be alerted in the event of a fire
• Escape routes need to be identified and visible

How can you achieve the above?:

• If you supply electrical equipment such as kettles, washing machines , irons and tumble driers ,you must ensure that the appliances are safe to use. This can be achieved by routine Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) any defected items can be removed from service and reduce the risk of injury to users.


• The electrical installation must meet minimum safety requirements, having a valid Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) carried out by a registered electrician every 5 years will ensure the installation will remain safe and any defects will be highlighted and rectified


• The installation of a fire detection system, this system is always compliant with requirements for a licensed HMO, Typically we install a Grade A system


• Emergency lights are installed to illuminate exits and escape routes in the event of a power cut

Communal areas & Kitchen

What are communal areas? These areas are areas that are shared with all the tenants such as living room, hallways and kitchen.

Kitchens are usually equipped with an electric oven and a gas hob , in the event of power failure the tenants are still able to cook and eat. Enough socket outlets should be installed to supply the various appliances in the kitchen with out the use of trailing leads.

Bedrooms

Sufficient power and lighting should be supplied per bedroom

• We install between 3 & 4 double sockets per bedroom , this amount should prevent the use of trailing extension leads and overloading sockets, Many times I have come across a room with a socket in that has thermal damage due to using multiple adaptors and extension leads.


• Ideally , a TV point installed per bedroom


• A standard pendant and light switch per room, in most cases we install an additional switch near the bed


• Not essential but its also good to have a network point from the router to each bedroom

Bathrooms

There are electrical requirements for bathrooms whether its en-suits or a communal.

Things to consider:

• The installation of extraction / Ventilation


• Suitable lighting , we install led integrated spot lights for bathrooms


• Electric showers; This is something worth considering as you cant simply have an electric shower per bathroom. The incoming electrical supply may not be able to handle the load, even if you have a 3 phase supply electric heating systems could push it over the boundaries. The requirement of a more conventional hot water system should be considered

If you're still in doubt, contact a qualified electrician for advice.

Contact Anton on 0117 321 6406