Is a washbasin in every room essential?

[investments]

According to the Telegraph this week - all HMO's will have to have a wash hand basin in the rooms, is this correct???

"The wash-basin rule: Every HMO with five or more sharers must install a basin in every bedroom. HMOs with up to five sharers must have one bathroom/shower unit and toilet plus a shared kitchen. HMOs with more than five sharers must have two bathroom/shower units with separate toilets and two shared kitchens"

Surely this is just ridiculous........ 2 kitchens as well for 6 bedroom houses.... The paper has quoted this as being part of the Housing Act 2004, I haven't seen anywhere on the legislation that stipulates this...... Any comments appreciated.

[red40]

Statute is here http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2006/uksi_20060373_en.pdf the requirement is in schedule 3.

It is not one of the better thoughtout requirements and I do know many authorities have written to the odpm about this on a number of factors:-

1. Depending on the number of occupants, for example 8 people sharing facilities, the existing hot water system may not accommodation such an increase in demand. Also depending on how the demand is to be achieved the incoming services gas, water, electric may also be pushed to their limit.

2. the cost of installing said WHB with hot and cold running water.

3. The extending odf any drainage, which is a controlled service, so you would need to notify building control re drainage and also possibly gas/water.

4. If you let a three storey house for students and you want to revert back to a single occupancy house after students you will e left with a number of wash basins, i.e lounge, dining room, etc.

5. Most local authorities have now completed or about to complete fire precaution works under the previous Housing Act in these 'higher risk' properties and they are now being asked to go back and enforce WHB's.

So dont think for a moment that local authorities want to implement this, as many dont, but they are being forced to by the above statutory instrument.

There have been murmurings that this may go back to ministers to rethink, but since it is a statutory instrument it will be implemented in licensable properties.

Hopefully it will be reworded before anybody actually goes ahead and installs whb's in bedsit/shared accommodation.

I should also point out that what we all consider a two storey property and basement is now classed as three storey if any services enter into the basement as this constitutes an integrl part of a licensable HMO.:confused:

[investments]

I have just received the 'schedule of amenity' provisions from the local council, and they are enforcing the wash hand basin (whb) rule for 5 bed + (assume 3 storey only although the information they have provided does not actually stipulate that). This is going to be such a nightmare - how on earth my landlord's with 4 storey Georgian townhouses and 10 bed lets are going to accommodate this much work, I don't know....

Together with the requirements of 2 lots of kitchen facilities for 6 occupancy +, thousands of pounds of works will be needed to be spent.... We have tenancies in place until next July so we will have to do this around the tenants also.

Apparantly we will have a 'reasonable time-scale' to carry out the works, but my local authority has said that we will be lucky to have until December. They feel a few months is more than reasonable.

Does anybody think there will be a silver lining on this thunder cloud in the end?

[tigergold]

There are some beautiful Georgian Houses that are going to be ruined with extra kitchens/wash hand basins. This is going to effect the value of the property, if at some stage you want to sell on as a family house, its going to be hard. When you think about the cost involved is it really worth it, or is it best just to cash in now.? How is it going to be posssible to add kitchens etc, some properties don't have the space, or you will have to loss a rentable room, and trying to work around tenents - the mess created, water disconnection, drainage for all these WHB's !

[Sandi]

From my experience in Scotland when fighting stupid rules regarding HMOs big is beautiful, individual landlords are ignored and the best way to fight is by joining a landlord association. If you do wish to fight yourself I would approach your local councillor rather than the enviromental health officers who are more concerned with enforcement rather than listening to reasonable complaints. With regards Georgian properties I would contact heritage watchdog pressure groups as again they tend to have more influence with politicians than landlords.