Houses in multiple occupation (HMOs)

Once we receive your HMO licence application we will:

• check the information and documents you've provided
• contact you by email if we need anything else
• arrange a property inspection to make sure the information in your application is correct
• let you know during the inspection about any hazards or issues we find and discuss how to fix them by and when
• decide whether to grant or refuse the licence.

We may ask you to resolve certain issues found during inspection before we will licence the property.

If we ask for more information and you do not provide it within 6 weeks, we'll close your application. We'll send you a reminder after 4 weeks.

If we grant your licence

If your application is approved, we'll send a draft licence to everyone named in your application. Interested parties will have 28 days to comment or raise any objections.

If we receive any comments or objections within the deadline, we'll discuss them with the licence holder before making a final decision.

If there are no comments or objections, we'll issue the final licence. This will be sent to all interested parties.

HMO licences are usually valid for up to 5 years. We may decide to issue a licence for a shorter period if there's a good reason to do so. This is decided on a case by case basis. 

HMO licence conditions

If we grant a licence, it may include conditions that require you to make improvements to the property.

We'll discuss any work needed and the deadline for completing it during the inspection.

After the deadline, we'll check that work has been completed and issues resolved, usually by carrying out another inspection.

If we refuse to grant your licence

If your application is refused, we'll send you and all interested parties a copy of our decision including the reasons why.

If you disagree with our decision you can appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber). Information about how to appeal and the deadline for appealing is included in your decision letter.