Houses of Multiple Occupation, or HMOs, are a popular choice of accommodation for young people, from their uni days right into adulthood as young professionals. With the entry barrier for the housing market still high, demand for high quality but affordable private rental accommodation is as strong as ever, so it’s a great market for private landlords to invest in. However, the cost to landlords of maintaining an HMO property can be higher than the equivalent overheads for a single occupancy rental property.
HMOs VS Single Occupancy Rentals: The Risk From Damp And Mould
This can be off-putting to some prospective landlords thinking of entering the market. HMOs have a bad reputation among landlords for good reason. With single occupancy properties, most tenants are diligent and respectful in their upkeep of the property, especially when renting long term. This isn’t always the case with HMOs. Rental leases are generally shorter, often measured in months up to two years or less, and the dynamics of the house shift with each change in occupancy.
To be fair, most HMO tenants are also diligent in caring for their individual spaces and living areas. However, not all tenants are prepared to take shared ownership for communal areas, including bath and shower facilities. Not all housemates will care equally about the issue of mould and leaks, either or be prepared to work together as a team to stop it.
As a landlord, this makes your HMO property more susceptible to long-term damage from leaking showers and faulty plumbing, with the added costs and health risks that come from chronic damp and black mould infestations.
If unaddressed, these issues can downgrade the quality of your property, making it more expensive to maintain, more difficult to rent out, and potentially leading to complaints and bad publicity from tenants.
Shower Pods In HMOs
A quick fix for houses of multiple occupation is to upgrade the tile and tray shower cubicles or bath-based showers with self-enclosed shower pods. There are three reasons for this:
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First, shower pods have none of the vulnerabilities of conventional shower cubicles to leaks. There are no grout lines or silicon seals through which water can seep out into the surrounding tiles and floor boards. This eliminates the risk of a leak going unnoticed until it causes significant damage.
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Second, with a hygienic fibreglass finish, shower pods are extremely easy to keep clean. A quick spray and they’re good to go, reducing the burden on housemates to pull their weight.
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Third, shower pods do not require separate tiles, silicon seals, and other paraphernalia that have to be freshened up and replaced between occupancies. This saves you time and money, especially in high turnover HMOs.
Find out more
Shower pods are the perfect solution for private landlords operating houses of multiple occupation. To find out more and discuss the costs and benefits to you, please contact Advanced Showers today.
Image source: Canva
