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Licensing for houses in multiple occupation

Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) must be licenced if the building is three or more storeys high and occupied by five or more people. The definition of storeys includes habitable basements and loft conversions.

How to apply

Landlords must submit a separate licence application for each property that is rented out. We charge a fee for processing licence applications.

We will need at least eight weeks to process your application. We will need to consult everyone who has an interest in the property and look at whether licence conditions should be imposed.

All licensed HMOs will be inspected to identify disrepair, fire safety, amenity or other safety concerns. Landlords will be required to bring their property up to standard within a specified period of time.

Please contact us if you need further information or advice, or for an application pack.

Anyone unhappy about a decision that we make has the right of appeal to the Residential Property Tribunal.

Get in touch

Private Sector Housing Enforcement

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