Mandatory licensing
The definition of a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) subject to licensing are contained within part two of the Housing Act 2004 and The Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation (Prescribed Descriptions) (England) Order 2018.
A property is classed as an HMO subject to licensing if it is occupied by 5 or more persons. These persons form 2 or more households, and they share a bathroom or kitchen.
A property must meet all 3 criteria to need a licence. If you buy a property that has an existing mandatory licence, the licence is not transferable. You must apply in an individual's name or company name.
Changes to the definition of an HMO requiring a licence came into effect on 1 October 2018.
Paper applications forms are no longer accepted. The online form will be quicker, particularly if you have multiple applications. The online form has a number of advice messages which should help you to complete and submit the form. It will not be possible to submit an incomplete application online.
It is possible to save the application part way through the process. The application will shut itself down. You will have to log back into the system each time you save the application. You should not attempt the application until you have all the relevant information to hand.
This can be information such as -
- electronic copies of electrical safety certificates
- gas safety certificates
- fire alarm certificates
- mortgage reference numbers
- National Insurance number
The online application will accept documents in the following format -
- Microsoft Excel
- Word
- JPEG
Attachments must be less than 5MB.
A European Court ruling requires that a fee is charged to review an application. It is also required in granting and refusing a licence. Successful licence applicants will then be charged a second stage fee. This is to cover the costs of issuing the licence and undertaking a compliance visit to the property.
An application cannot be accepted as being complete if the full fee has not been paid. If the second stage fee is not paid, then the application will be returned to the applicant. The initial fee will not be returned as this covers the cost of processing the application. Persons responsible for operating a property as a HMO without a licence may be committing an offence.
The time to complete the online application varies depending on the amount of information required. On average, the application should take 30 to 45 minutes. Sometimes it will take longer than this. If it does we recommend the application is saved. This is to avoid the possibility of information being lost.
If you have any further questions, email them to HMO.licensing@hullcc.gov.uk. We will answer them as quickly as possible.