For years, many landlords of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs ) have operated on a knife-edge of compliance, doing just enough to get by. That era is over. The ground has irrevocably shifted, and a wave of new enforcement powers is set to catch the unprepared in a costly trap. Local authorities, armed with a formidable new arsenal of penalties, are no longer just targeting the rogue operators; they are scrutinizing every HMO landlord. The message from Westminster and town