More than 2,300 Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) across England contain life-threatening safety hazards, according to new analysis by Inventory Base - prompting renewed calls for landlords to act before councils step up enforcement under the Renters’ Rights Act. The report warns that failure to address hazards could result in costly penalties and reputational damage for landlords.
Renters’ Rights Act powers local enforcement on HMO safety
The newly enacted Renters’ Rights Act grants local authorities enhanced powers to tackle Category 1 hazards under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS). These are the most serious risks to tenants’ health and safety - including fire hazards, structural instability, faulty electrics, and severe cold.
Inventory Base’s analysis found that 2,334 HMOs - or 1.8% of England’s 131,061-strong HMO stock - currently contain Category 1 hazards. The regional picture varies significantly:
- Yorkshire and the Humber has the highest proportion of unsafe HMOs (3.2%).
- London follows at 2.7%, and the South East at 2.1%, both above the national average.
While the overall number of hazardous HMOs has dropped by 18.8% between 2022/23 and 2023/24, certain regions are moving in the wrong direction. The North East saw a 130% rise in dangerous HMOs, followed by the West Midlands (+70.7%), South East (+35.1%), and East Midlands (+33.3%).
Regional risk variations and enforcement challenges
Encouragingly, some regions have made strong progress. The South West saw a dramatic 64.4% reduction in unsafe HMOs, while the East of England improved by 54.8% and the North West by 49.5%. However, experts warn that these gains may not last unless councils are properly funded to inspect and enforce safety standards.
“Category 1 hazards aren’t technicalities - they’re life-threatening,” said Sián Hemming-Metcalfe, operations director at Inventory Base. “Every faulty wire, every structural weakness, every unchecked fire risk represents a potential tragedy. The fact that thousands of HMOs are still unsafe shows how far we are from making rented housing genuinely fit for purpose.”
For landlords, the strengthened enforcement powers mean councils can now take faster action, impose hefty civil penalties, or in extreme cases issue banning orders for persistent non-compliance. Landlords operating across multiple local authorities could face varying enforcement approaches depending on each council’s priorities and resources.
Proactive landlords can protect their assets and tenants
Landlord bodies including the NRLA have consistently argued that responsible operators should not be punished for the failings of a minority. Proactive inspection and documentation are now seen as essential risk management steps - particularly for portfolio landlords managing HMOs in higher-risk regions.
Inventory Base is encouraging landlords to use technology to streamline safety checks. “At Inventory Base, we’ve always believed prevention beats enforcement,” Hemming-Metcalfe added. “Our platform helps landlords, agents and councils identify, document and fix hazards quickly and transparently. Technology has taken the excuses away - now it’s about who’s ready to use it.”
With the Renters’ Rights Act now law, landlords face both greater scrutiny and greater opportunity to demonstrate professionalism. The most efficient investors will treat compliance as a strategic advantage - not a bureaucratic burden.
Editor’s view
The tightening of HMO safety enforcement is a double-edged sword. It raises the bar for property standards - rightly - but also exposes how fragmented and inconsistent council oversight has become. Smart landlords will move early: audit every HMO, record every fix, and digitise documentation. In a regulatory environment that prizes transparency, those who act first will not only avoid fines but win tenant confidence and lender trust.
Author: Editorial team - UK landlord & buy-to-let news, policy, and finance.
Published: 12 November 2025
Sources: Inventory Base, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), NRLA, ONS
Related reading: Peterborough set to expand HMO licensing despite landlord opposition
