There had been a near fivefold increase in the number of people living in House of Multiple Occupancy (HMO) in the last eight years.

In 2017, 78 people were living in HMOs with eight properties registered as such. So far in 2025, that number has risen to 363 with 24 such properties registered.

The environmental health team is responsible for recommending the registration of HMOs which is why the Minister for Environment, Food and Agriculture Clare Barber was asked about the issue in a written Tynwald question.

Onchan MHK Julie Edge asked her how many properties were registered as HMOs in each year since 2021.

Mrs Barber said: ‘It is the responsibility of local authorities to maintain a register of HMOs in their areas.

‘The department’s Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) undertake inspections on HMOs on behalf of the local authorities prior to registration to ensure they meet minimum standards.

‘Providing the HMO meets the minimum standards, the EHO recommends to the local authority that the HMO be registered.

‘However, my department has maintained a record of HMOs inspected and recommended for registration since 2017 when the requirement to register was introduced.’

Mrs Barber said her department had not been made aware of any HMOs being deregistered or re-registered, although local authorities are not obligated to advise DEFA on the issue.

Figures provided by DEFA show that, in 2017, there were eight HMP properties with one consisting of 22 occupants and seven HMOs with eight occupants.

That figure rose to 12 properties in 2018 with 151 occupants. Of the four new HMOs, one consisted of 25 occupants, one with 25, another with 16 and one with 12.

There were no new HMOs in 2019 and just one in 2020 consisting of 14 occupants.

There were two more in 2021 with one HMO consisting of 19 occupants and one with six.

There was a big increase in 2022. While only four new HMOs were registered, they consisted of one with 25 occupants, one with 21, another with 18 and one with 16 – making a total of 80 more.

There were no new HMOs in 2023 and one HMO consisting of nine occupants in 2024.

But so far this year, there have been four HMOs registered, consisting of one with 19 occupants, one with 18, another with 17 and one with 16. That means a total of 363 people living in HMOs on the island.

Mrs Barber added: ‘In 2025, the Environmental Health Team have also recently recommended the registration of an HMO with a maximum occupancy of 15 to the relevant authority, but this is yet to be registered.

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