Why HMOs get surveyed
An HMO is a house or flat shared by several people who are not one household, such as student houses, professional shares and bedsit conversions. Many were converted from larger Victorian, Edwardian or interwar homes, often with later alterations for fire safety: new doors, partitions, boxed-in stairs, ceiling linings and fire separation between rooms. If that work was carried out before 2000, some of it could have used asbestos-containing board.
The common parts of an HMO, such as the hall, stairs, landing, shared kitchen, boiler cupboard and shared outbuildings, are the areas where the duty to manage is most likely to apply, because they are shared parts of a domestic premises used by several households.
Wavertree, Smithdown, Kensington and parts of Birkenhead have many shared houses, most of them Victorian or interwar properties altered over the years.
Typical materials
In HMOs, typical asbestos materials are textured coatings on ceilings and stair walls, insulating board in fire-protection to doors and stairs, flues and pipework around the boiler, floor tiles in kitchens and bathrooms, cement garage and outbuilding roofs, and soffits. Loft areas may include old lagging or board that was left when lofts were converted.
The survey is usually a management survey of the whole property, extended into the rooms if the landlord wants a full picture, or a refurbishment survey if conversion or re-fitting is planned.
Licensing, refits and tenancies
HMO landlords often refit properties between tenancies or when licensing requires fire-safety upgrades. Fire doors, sprinkler installation, new partitions and electrical re-wires are all work that disturbs fabric. A survey of the affected area before work starts helps avoid delays, protects tenants and means contractors can be told what they are dealing with.
A register is also useful evidence of a landlord taking reasonable steps. Local authority licensing officers look at fire safety and property condition in detail, and having a current survey on file is a sensible part of that file.
Surveying multiple houses
Many HMO landlords have several properties. If that is you, tell us on the form how many, and where. Surveying a group of houses in one visit programme, with a consistent report, is usually easier to manage than ad hoc requests.