Electrical checks for houses in multiple occupation
An HMO carries two overlapping legal duties plus whatever the licence adds on top. Miss either layer and a council inspection finds it fast — HMOs are the properties councils actually check.
Duty 1 — the HMO management regulations (5 years, hard-coded)
The Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (England) Regulations 2006 (and the equivalent Welsh regulations) require the person managing the HMO to have the fixed electrical installations inspected and tested at intervals of no more than 5 years by a suitably qualified engineer — and to obtain and retain a report. This duty exists independently of tenancy type: it applies because the building is an HMO, not because of who rents it.
Duty 2 — the landlord electrical safety standards
HMO tenancies are specified tenancies under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector Regulations (England 2020; Wales equivalents from December 2022), so the standard landlord obligations apply:
- Inspection and test at least every 5 years (or sooner per Section F of the last report).
- Copy to each tenant within 28 days; copy to new tenants before occupation; copy to the authority within 7 days on request.
- If Unsatisfactory: further investigation or remedial work, with written confirmation within 28 days.
Scotland: HMO landlords sit under the Repairing Standard/HMO licensing regime — electrical safety inspection (periodic inspection and testing plus PAT) before first let and at intervals of no more than 5 years, with the PAT retest interval set by the person doing the testing.
What licensing conditions typically add
| Condition | Typical wording |
|---|---|
| EICR at licence grant/renewal | "A valid EICR shall be provided with the application and every 5 years thereafter" |
| PAT of landlord-supplied appliances | "All portable electrical appliances provided shall be inspected and tested [interval per tester's recommendation]" |
| Alarm / emergency lighting checks | Smoke and heat alarm + emergency lighting test regimes, recorded separately |
| Annual visual inspection | Some councils require a manager's visual check between EICRs |
Councils differ — the licence document is the binding text. A blanket "HMOs need an annual EICR" claim is wrong in law; what recurs annually in some licences is the visual check or PAT, not the full inspection and test.
What an HMO inspection must reach
- Communal areas: stair/korridor lighting, emergency lighting where fitted, communal kitchen equipment.
- Every lettable room's circuits — not a sample. Occupied rooms mean scheduling access; agree it before the visit.
- Multiple distribution boards — older HMOs commonly accumulate them; each gets its own schedule entry.
- Landlord-supplied appliances — PAT or formal inspection where the licence or risk assessment calls for it (fridges, microwaves, hoovers, heaters).