Requirement to license

Where a Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) is a licensable HMO, the law requires that either:

• a full HMO application has been submitted and is awaiting approval, this includes a properly completed application form, the appropriate fee and all necessary certificates and other documents. The content will depend upon the type of application or
• an HMO licence has been approved and has not expired or been revoked or
• a temporary exemption from licensing has been applied for and is awaiting approval (or rejection), we may approve an exemption when the owner proposes to take steps which will mean that the property is no longer a licensable HMO or
• we have served a Temporary Exemption Notice (TEN) and it remains current. A TEN only lasts for three months. A TEN is a formal approval of the application for exemption.

Application for a temporary exemption from licensing [132KB]

A licence lasts for a maximum of five years (although in some cases it will be for a shorter period). The law requires that a new licence is applied for on, or before, the expiry date of the previous licence.

The licence applies to both the property and the licence holder. This means that when the licence holder changes a new licence application is needed. The licence cannot be transferred.