Does your rental need an HMO licence?
Let a property to a few sharers and it can quietly become a House in Multiple Occupation — and renting out an unlicensed HMO is a criminal offence with unlimited fines and rent-repayment orders. Answer three questions to see whether yours is an HMO, whether it needs a mandatory licence, and what else your council might require. Free, no sign-up.
Information, not legal advice. This covers the headline rules; the licence type, exact standards and any additional or selective licensing scheme are set by your local council, so always confirm with them before letting. Nothing you type here leaves your browser.
Being an HMO and needing a licence aren't the same thing.
What makes a property an HMO. In England and Wales, a home is a House in Multiple Occupation when at least three tenants live there forming more than one household and they share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet. A household is a single family or couple — so three friends sharing is three households, while a couple is one. Scotland and Northern Ireland use a similar three-or-more-from-two-or-more-households test.
The mandatory licence (England & Wales). A larger HMO must be licensed by the council if it's occupied by five or more people forming two or more households. The old "three storeys" condition was removed in October 2018, so a two-storey or single-storey property counts too. The licence lasts up to five years and the council checks fire safety, room sizes, amenities and that the licence holder is a fit and proper person.
Additional and selective licensing. Below the mandatory threshold you're not off the hook. Councils can run an additional licensing scheme that brings smaller HMOs (three or four people) into licensing, and a selective scheme that licenses ordinary rented homes in a designated area. These vary street by street, so the only reliable check is your own council's website.
Scotland and Northern Ireland. Scotland licenses every HMO of three or more unrelated people — there's no five-person threshold. Northern Ireland runs a single statutory HMO registration and licensing scheme through councils for three or more people from two or more households. Both are stricter than the English mandatory rule, so assume a licence is needed and confirm locally.
Renting out a licensable HMO without a licence is a criminal offence: unlimited fines, a banning order, and tenants or the council can reclaim up to twelve months' rent. It's worth getting right.
An HMO has a lot of dates to keep.
Licence renewals, the annual gas check, the five-year EICR, fire-alarm tests — Stead keeps every certificate and deadline for the property in one place and reminds you before each one runs out.