What to do after approval of licence
Licence holders must comply with licensing requirements throughout the licence period. Where there are problems, we will try to resolve them by agreement. Should co-operation fail, we may take enforcement action against the licence holder.
A guide for landlords - policies and procedures [819KB]
Licence holders' responsibilities (and the implications of these) are outlined below:
Licence contents
The licence will specify:
- the number of people, and households, who can occupy each room of the Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO)
- standard conditions (including those relating to gas safety, written terms of occupation and anti-social behaviour)
- Additional conditions requiring improvement of the property (in some cases), these normally set out works to comply with licensing standards
The licence holder must comply with all the conditions of licence. Where there are separate managers, licence holders are responsible for their managers' actions. A licence contravention is an offence with a penalty of up to £20,000.
You may ask us to vary the licence conditions (for example, because you want to increase occupation). We will use the licensing standards documents when we consider requests for variations.
We may also vary the licence conditions if we find that the HMO does not comply with the licensing standards.
When we vary a licence we will update the standard licence conditions. These are simpler, and less of a burden, than those set out in older licences.
Management of the HMO
The licence holder, and the manager, must comply with the management regulations.
Health and safety of the occupiers
The licence holder must ensure that the HMO provides reasonably safe and healthy housing conditions. The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) is used to assess this. When we inspect the HMO we will identify any significant health and safety issues. We will discuss these with the licence holder. If we cannot reach agreement, we will serve notice upon the licence holder requiring them to take appropriate steps.
Maintaining fit and proper status
The licence holder, and those people who are involved in the management of the HMO, must remain suitable for their roles throughout the period of the licence. The application form asks questions which relate to such matters as:
- Fraud
- Violent offences
- Sexual offences
- Breaches of housing law
- Bankruptcy
- Poor management
We will consider any new information relevant to these issues. Where appropriate we may revoke the licence.
Change of manager
The management arrangements must remain satisfactory throughout the licence period. If the manager changes, the licence holder must notify us. We will need to check that the new manager will be 'fit and proper' (see above), and that the management systems will be suitable. Please complete and return the form below.
HMO licence - change of manager form [232KB]
We may need to vary the licence where the manager changes.
Change of licence holder
The licence is unique to the licence holder as well as the HMO. The licence holder remains responsible for the property condition throughout the licence period. If there is a change, the previous licence holder should ask us to revoke the licence. Failure to do this will mean that they remain legally liable for the conditions at the HMO.
The (proposed) new licence holder will need to apply for an HMO licence.
Change of owner
See change of licence holder above. Usually, the current licence holders will no longer have control of the property; they should inform us of the change so that we can revoke the licence.
The purchaser should apply for a licence in the name of the new licence holder,