Amenity Standards for Privately Rented dwellings

Each unit of living accommodation in a home in multiple occupation (HMO) or Shared House should be provided with adequate thermal insulation and a suitable and effective means of space heating so that the individual unit can be economically maintained at a reasonable temperature.

Efficient heating is defined as:

• any programmable gas or oil central heating system; or
• electric storage heaters linked to Economy 7 (or similar) low-cost energy provision; or
• warm air systems; or
• under floor heating systems; or
• programmable LPG/ solid-fuel central heating system; or
• similarly efficient heating systems which are developed in the future.

Heating Guidance:

• all heaters must be securely fixed in position and fully controllable by the tenant
• electric storage heaters must be hard-wired into a dedicated and adequately rated fused control switch
• all habitable rooms and bathrooms should have a heating provision capable of raising the temperature of the room to 21°C and maintaining that temperature when the outside temperature is -1°C
• communal areas should have a heating provision capable of raising the temperature of the areas to18oC and maintaining that temperature when the outside temperature is -1°C
• portable heating appliances such as electric fires, convector or fan heaters, paraffin oil and LPG (bottled gas) should not be provided by the landlord or used by the tenant.

Insulation Guidance:

• loft spaces should be insulated with 270mm depth of glass fibre insulation or equivalent
• windows should be of sound construction and well-maintained as to be draught-proof and water-tight
• the front and rear doors to the main HMO building should be well-fitting, of sound construction and well-maintained as to be draught-proof and water-tight
• where possible landlords should consider insulating the wall cavity of the building where a cavity exists