Under current legislation, all flats in Edinburgh rented to three or more unrelated people must be licensed as Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) by the City of Edinburgh Council. Queries about the HMO status of properties should be addressed to the Enforcement and Licensing Section of the Council’s Environmental and Consumer Services Department (0131-469 5395; e-mail hmo@edinburgh.gov.uk). All conjoining owners should also be served with details of date of issue of a licence, permitted number of tenants and an emergency contact number. This is a condition of the licence.