Category Archives for "HMO Licence"

Does A 2-storey HMO Require A HMO Licence?

By Matthew Moody | HMO Licence

This depends on the council but in general, you will not require a HMO licence unless the council has applied for selective licencing.

So, to err on the side of caution when buying a 2-storey HMO, make sure you ring your local housing officers to enquire about the HMO licence requirements in your area and then follow their instructions.

At the very least, ensure that you have a fire alarm system, fire extinquishers and blankets together with following the normal health and safety precautions.

If you have more than 7 sharing in a 2-storey HMO, remember that although you may not need a HMO licence, you may need to apply for planning permission for change of use from residential usage to a HMO.

What is a HMO Licence?

By Matthew Moody | HMO Licence

Its a question that’s often asked of me when I do my talks, workshops and mentoring – and the answer is fairly simple, although the implementation can be more difficult and time-consuming.

A HMO licence is a licence granted by the local authority (in the area where your HMO resides) for you to be able to let your property to a listed number of households and people.

It will generally dictate any requirements for fire safety, health, cooking and amenity improvements that are needed in order to comply with the licence.  You will generally get three months within which to install any requirements needed by the licence but a “reasonable time” must be allowed in order to complete these works.

The licence is issued under Section 64 of the Housing Act 2004 and specifically relates to Schedule 5 Paragraph 1 of the Act (if you have a few hours on hand to read the act, its absolutely mind-numbing).

Normally, a licence will be issued for 5 years or until it is revoked and at all times, the conditions under which the licence is granted have to be maintained (ie fire alarm system, cooking facilities etc).

The local authority may carry out an inspection to ensure that the licence conditions are complied with and to ensure that adequate maintainance in accordance with Part 1 of the Housing Act 2004 is being carried out.

In future posts, I’ll talk further about the Licence application process, what a licence looks like and the typical kind of conditions you may expect to be imposed upon your property to meet Housing Act 2004 standards.