HC Deb 06 May 2004 vol 420 c1688W
Jon Trickett

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the percentage of houses in multiple occupation in England and Wales which will fall within the scope of the mandatory licensing scheme in the Housing Bill. [171220]

Keith Hill

The 1996 English House Condition Survey estimates that there were approximately 543,000 Houses in Multiple Occupation in England and the National Assembly for Wales estimates that there are approximately 20,000 HMOs in Wales. It is estimated that about 120,000 HMOs in England and 5,000 in Wales will be subject to licensing under the mandatory scheme proposed in the Housing Bill. This will represent approximately 22.2 per cent. of the total HMO stock in England and Wales.