Can a landlord enter a HMO without notice?

Being a HMO landlord, it is natural to want to protect your investment and do all you can to ensure tenants treat your property with respect. You will want to keep the property’s value and rent it out to other tenants in the future. But there are clear rules about entering your property without notice once it has been let out.

You may want to carry out routine property inspections, but turning up unannounced without tenants’ permission is not allowed. To learn more about how to carry out a property inspection, check out our full guide here. Except in highly exceptional circumstances, you will need to receive tenants’ permission before accessing your property. 

A HMO landlord is someone who rents a property to at least three tenants who are not from the same household. You can make high profits from operating as a HMO landlord. For instance, most student landlords run HMO properties with at least three tenants from different households. 

Of course, being a HMO landlord and having a higher number of tenants can also come with its challenges. As a result, you will definitely need a HMO landlord insurance policy, like the leading ones we offer at CIA Landlord Insurance.

Here, we at CIA have explored deeper into landlords’ access rights to HMOs. 

What are landlord access rights?

Once renting out a property, as a landlord, you will only have the right to access the rental property without tenants’ permission in an emergency, including a serious threat to the property or life. See here to learn more about the rules around landlords providing carbon monoxide alarms in their buy-to-lets. 

Landlord notice to access a HMO property

So, how much notice do you have to give exactly to tenants? Landlords must give tenants a minimum of 24 hours’ written notice before carrying out property inspections or house viewings to prospective new tenants. In addition, these must be carried out at ‘ reasonable times of the day’. 

What is the covenant of quiet enjoyment?

The right to ‘quiet enjoyment’ means that tenants are entitled to live in the property in peace without disturbance from the landlord or others associated with him or her. If you break this as a HMO landlord, you could have your HMO licence revoked by your local authority. Making sure you get tenants’ permission before accessing your rental property will mean you will avoid breaching tenants’ right to the quiet enjoyment of your property. 

At CIA, we also offer specialist landlord flat insurance and landlord multi property insurance for HMO landlords and we work closely with some of the best providers out there.

Are you a HMO landlord on the hunt for a landlord insurance policy that suits your needs? Get in contact with us at CIA Landlords today by telephoning 01788 818 670 or emailing info@cia-insurance.co.uk.