HMO Maintenance for Landlords

Why HMOs need more upkeep than single lets

In a single let, one household uses the kitchen and bathroom and tends to report problems. In an HMO, five or six people might share them, and everyone assumes someone else has mentioned the dripping tap. Shared rooms take far more wear, doors and handles get more use, and the hallway carries every delivery and every move in and out.

That wear adds up quickly. A silicone seal that would last years in a family home can fail in months in a busy shared bathroom, and once water gets behind it, the repair grows. Regular attention is cheaper than waiting for the big failure.

Planned maintenance: routine checks and scheduled work

A planned approach means visiting at agreed intervals to look over the property, rather than only turning up when something breaks. On a typical HMO visit we look at the shared bathrooms and kitchen, the communal areas, doors and closers, signs of damp or leaks, and anything the tenants have mentioned. You receive a short written note with dated photos.

Larger work, such as redecorating the hallway or retiling a shower, can then be scheduled at a sensible time instead of becoming urgent. Our guide to planned vs reactive maintenance explains how the two fit together.

Reactive repairs reported by tenants

Faults still happen between visits. Tenants can report them directly to us if you prefer, and we arrange access with them, carry out the repair and let you know what we found and what we did. For urgent faults such as leaks, our 24/7 call out service is available.

When we attend, we look at the cause as well as the symptom, and tell you if anything nearby is heading the same way.

Shared bathrooms and kitchens

Shared wet areas are where most HMO repairs come from. Tiling, grout and silicone take constant punishment, extractor fans get switched off or clogged, and taps and toilets wear out faster. We regrout and reseal, replace cracked tiles, fix leaking traps and taps, and refit a shower or a whole bathroom when it has reached the end of its life.

In kitchens, the common jobs are worktop edges, cupboard doors and hinges, sink seals and the plumbing under the sink. Keeping these sound stops water damage spreading into floors and the rooms below.

Communal hallways and stairs

The hallway and stairs are the first thing a prospective tenant sees and the first place wear shows. Scuffed walls, damaged skirting, loose handrails and tired carpets make a property feel neglected. We repair, fill and redecorate communal areas, and our communal area maintenance service covers this in more detail.

Room turnarounds between tenants

Rooms in an HMO often change hands at different times, so turnarounds come one at a time rather than the whole house at once. We make good, fill and repaint the room, fix doors, locks and fittings, and deal with anything left damaged. For bigger refreshes, see our void property refurbishment service.

Rules, records and our HMO checklist

HMOs come with their own licensing and safety rules, which can vary between councils. We are not a substitute for advice from your council or a specialist, but the dated photos and visit notes we provide give you a clear record of the work carried out. For a practical list of what to look at, read our HMO maintenance checklist.

If you also let single households, our general maintenance plans for landlords cover those properties. To set up an HMO arrangement, use the contact page or call 01268 206409.