The number of prosecutions carried out over buildings housing multiple families has risen dramatically in Bradford.

Last year saw the number rise fivefold from the previous year, from two to ten, and already this year there have been 11 cases in which legal action has been taken.

A House of Multiple Occupation – known as an HMO – is a building or part of a building which is occupied by more than one household.

If, in a privately rented property, there are three or more storeys with five or more occupiers, two of whom are unrelated, then a licence is needed.

Introduced as part of the Housing Act of 2004, licences are issued subject to certain conditions being met such as the presence of smoke detectors and fire doors.

Homes without a licence are liable to prosecution, with a possible fine of up to £20,000. It is also possible for tenants or Bradford Council to reclaim up to a year’s rent if a prosecution is successful. As the number of HMOs rises, Council officers are working hard to ensure that landlords are made aware of the regulations, and that they comply.

Coun the Reverend Paul Flowers, executive member for culture, planning and housing, said: “Everybody, whoever they are, wherever they live, has the right to live in a clean, safe home and this applies equally to residents of multiple-occupation homes.

“Standards can only be monitored if landlords have a license. To qualify for a license landlords have to have their homes assessed against basic standards.

“Good landlords who genuinely care about the welfare of their tenants as well as their income from rents should be licensed.”

Liam Jowette, Bradford Council’s private sector housing manager, said: “We estimate that there are more than 1,000 HMOs in Bradford and out of those we have licensed around 275.”

Recent years have seen a rapid rise in the number of HMOs as more people turn their backs on stocks and shares and invest in property to rent out. “Those renting homes also sub-let to cover the rent leading to overcrowding,” said Mr Jowett.

“If we come across a landlord who has shoehorned as many people as possible into a property to make as much money as possible we can prosecute, but this does not happen often. It is more common to have sub-letting, which the landlord may not be aware of.”

Earlier this year a landlord was fined £3,000 for health and safety breaches and £800 for not having a licence for a house in Mannville Terrace near Bradford University. He faces £1,185 in costs and a £15 victim surcharge.

Magistrates were told the property was in a poor condition with no fire alarm, a flooded basement, leaks to two bedrooms and fire deficiencies.

Last year Council officers called a two-month amnesty giving landlords a chance to obtain a licence. More recently, a survey was carried out involving officers knocking on doors to check properties.

“Prosecution is always a last recourse,” said Mr Jowett.