The Housing Minister, Alok Sharma, has confirmed that the Government will be going ahead with its proposals to change the conditions for a mandatory license for HMOs to any property with 5 or more occupants in 2 or more households, regardless of the layout of the property (previously the property had to be of three storeys). Any flat or two storey house will be caught once regulations are brought in.
The announcement also confirmed that there will be minimum bedroom sizes for HMOs.
Rooms used for sleeping by 1 adult will have to be no smaller than 6.51 square metres, and those slept in by 2 adults will have to be no smaller than 10.22 square metres. Rooms slept in by children of 10 years and younger will have to be no smaller than 4.64 square metres.
The announcement also refers to the consultation response on the list of banning order offences, due to come into force in April 2018, but the full list if not set out (although the announcement says it is).
We might note in passing, with a degree of irony, that the DWP believes it is impossible to define a bedroom by a minimum size for the purposes of the Bedroom Tax. However, DCLG appear to have just done so, at least for private sector HMOs.