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House in multiple occupation
British term for shared residential properties / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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A house in multiple occupation (HMO),[1] or a house of multiple occupancy, is a British English term which refers to residential properties where 'common areas' exist and are shared by more than one household.
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Most HMOs have been subdivided from larger houses designed for and occupied by one family. Some housing legislation makes a distinction between those buildings occupied mainly on long leases and those where the majority of the occupants are short-term tenants.
The definition of an HMO has its origins in fire safety legislation, following a series of publicised, preventable deaths in overcrowded buildings.