A 3 bed flat with 3 friends sharing jointly under one AST. Is a HMO license required?
Online it says 3 friends bonded with an AST is classed as one household, thus not requiring an HMO license.
But Housing Act says a household is made up of family members only. So 3 friends sharing would require an HMO.
I would really appreciate your thoughts and experience with 3 bed flats and their classification.
Thanks
It is legally a HMO but whether is requires a HMO licence will depend on your local council.
My understanding is different to Karl’s. I was always under the impression that to be a HMO each tenant/room needed to have a separate tenancy agreement.
Karl is correct. Whether its individual tenancies or a joint tenancy is irrelevant to whether the property is an HMO. If 3 people live there that are not all related by blood or romantic involvement, then its an HMO and the full HMO Management Regulations 2006 apply. Where the local authority has implemented Additional Licensing for 3 person HMOs a licence will also be required.
It’s not something I’ve ever looked into to be honest but glad to have my assumption busted haha. Just shows even oldies can learn new things 
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