Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO)
There are may properties that will now fall under the definition of a HMO (broadly those occupied by more than two people who are from two or more households), however the mandatory licensing for some of these properties is now required and applications must have been submitted to the respective local authorities by 6th July 2006.
If you think that you may own a property, which falls into the HMO mandatory license category, you will be required to obtain a license. At present this is where a single property has three or more storeys and is occupied by five or more tenants. Other types of HMO's which do now require a license are under the category 'Additional' i.e. where your local authority notify you that they require your property to be registered or 'Selective' i.e. where a whole area or estate has been nominated for registration by the local authority.
It is possible that in the future there may be a requirement for all HMO's to be registered.
Please visit www.propertylicence.gov.uk for more information.
The following Information was provided from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister website on 01 June 2006 (Crown copyright)
Q Is the licence per landlord or per property?
A A separate licence is needed for each property.
The licence holder and the person who manage the property will have to be considered ‘fit and proper’ for the licence to be granted. A licence may not relate to more than one property and is not transferable to a different property, or to a different person.
Q Is the licence for the owner or the manager of the property?
A The landlord can hold the licence or nominate someone else such as a manager or agent (with their agreement) to be the licence holder. Whoever holds a licence must be the person who is most appropriate to hold the licence for the property and this is likely to be the person who receives the rent for the property. A licence may not relate to more than one property and is not transferable.
Q Which council department will be responsible for HMO licensing?
A It will be up to the individual local housing authority to decide but, in most instances, it will be the housing or environmental health department that will be responsible for HMO licensing.
Useful Local Authority Contacts For HMO Registration
- London Borough of Southwark
- Residential Group
- Tel: 020 7525 2000
- Fax: 020 7525 3077
- Pik-Sheung Shum in charge of HMO's at Southwark 020 7525 5787
- Environment and Leisure
- The Chaplin Centre
- Thurlow Street
- London
- SE17 2DG
- London Borough of Lambeth
- Private Sector Housing (Environmental Health) Team
- 3rd Floor
- Hambrook House,
- London SW2 5RW
- Tel: 020 7926 4444 or 020 7926 4247
- E-mail: privatesectorhousing@lambeth.gov.uk
- London Borough of Westminster
- Contact Environmental Health Residential Services
- Council House, Marylebone road, London NW1 5PT
- Telephone: 0207 641 1260
- Fax: 0207 641 1112
- E-mail: res@westminster.gov.uk
- City of London
- The quality of private rented housing, including hostels and houses in multiple occupation is monitored and complaints investigated and appropriate actions are taken where sub-standard accommodation is found. A local registration scheme for Houses in Multiple Occupation is to be set up during this current year subject to the Government introducing legislation to enable a national scheme to be set up.
- Tel: 020 7332 3630
- E-mail: DES.GeneralEnq@corpoflondon.gov.uk
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