EPC For HMO ?
Intro: The private rental market in Northern Ireland has seen a surge in recent years, with more and more houses of multiple occupancy otherwise known as HMO'S being added to the rental housing stock.
In 2016 new legislation was introduced locally, to regulate this growing sector and to deter rogue landlords.
The Houses in Multiple Occupation Act (Northern Ireland) 2016 became enshrined in law.
HMO'S' now must be licensed by their local council unless a temporary exemption notice is in effect, you can learn more about this via the Belfast City Council website.
Do I Need A EPC For My HMO?
This can be seen as a grey area, in short YES you will still need to have an EPC for the entire property.
Example: A flat or house has been rented by a number of tenants who have exclusive use of their bedrooms, but share a bathroom & kitchen.
In this instance, each tenant has a contract with the landlord for the parts they have access to, but not for a whole dwelling.
Because the bathroom & kitchen area is shared only one EPC is required for the entire property.
When each unit in the property has a seperate bathroom, kitchen, living quarters then under the legislation a seperate EPC is required.
An EPC is only required for a habitable unit if it is self-contained.
