HMO Licence Application Service

The cost of not applying: operating a licensable HMO without a licence carries an unlimited fine on prosecution or a civil penalty of up to £30,000, tenants can reclaim up to 12 months' rent through a Rent Repayment Order, and Section 21 notices are invalid while the property is unlicensed. Once a valid application is duly submitted, you can normally continue operating while it's processed — which is exactly why getting it in early and complete matters.

Start with the right question

Which licence — and does your council widen the net?

Mandatory licensing in England covers HMOs occupied by 5 or more people from 2 or more households sharing facilities. But that is only the national baseline. Councils can also declare additional licensing, pulling smaller shared houses into scope, and selective licensing, which covers every private rental in a designated area regardless of who lives there. Schemes start, end and change boundaries — a street that needed no licence last year may need one now.

So before touching a form, we check your specific council's live schemes against your property's address and occupancy. That first check decides everything else: which application, which conditions, which standards the property will be inspected against — and sometimes that no licence is needed at all, which is worth knowing before you pay a fee.

What we take off your desk

Scheme check for your exact council and address
Scaled floor plans drawn to the council's specification
Certificates produced or gathered — nothing missing on submission
Fit and proper person declarations completed correctly
Council queries answered and the inspection attended
Renewal diarised well before expiry

The application pack

Complete applications get processed; incomplete ones queue

Council licensing teams work through a checklist, and an application missing any item tends to be parked or returned — effectively sent to the back of the queue while your exposure clock keeps running. The pack usually needs scaled floor plans showing room sizes and amenities, a current gas safety certificate, a satisfactory EICR, fire precaution details, fit and proper person declarations for the proposed licence holder and manager, and a credible description of the management arrangements.

Because we produce the certificates ourselves — gas, electrical, fire — and draw the floor plans in house, the pack goes in complete on day one. If the layout itself is the weak point, our HMO design service resolves room sizes and amenity ratios before the council ever measures them.

1

Check

We confirm which of your council's schemes apply and obtain its application checklist and conditions.

2

Compile

Floor plans, certificates and declarations are produced or collected, and gaps are fixed before submission.

3

Submit & respond

The application goes in complete; we handle council queries and accompany the licensing inspection.

4

Renew

Licence conditions are logged, certificate renewals scheduled, and the licence renewal diarised in good time.

After the licence

A licence is a promise the council will check

Every licence comes with conditions: certificates to keep current, standards to maintain, sometimes works to complete by a deadline. Missing a condition is an offence in its own right, and the evidence trail you build during the licence term is what makes renewal straightforward. Our HMO management service keeps that trail — periodic inspections, one renewal calendar across every certificate, and issues logged with photographs — so the renewal application is largely written before it's due. If the council has flagged fire precautions, an HMO fire risk assessment turns the requirement into a prioritised, costed action list.

Tell us the address, the number of occupants and households, and which council the property falls under — use the quote form or WhatsApp — and we'll confirm what licensing applies and quote for the whole application.

Common questions

HMO licensing questions, answered

How much does an HMO licence application service cost?

It depends on the property, how many certificates and floor plans already exist, and which council you're applying to — every council also charges its own licence fee on top. Send the address and occupancy via the quote form and we'll reply with a fixed quote for our work, usually the same working day.

Which properties need an HMO licence?

In England, mandatory licensing applies to HMOs occupied by 5 or more people forming 2 or more households who share facilities. But many councils run additional licensing covering smaller HMOs, and selective licensing covering all private rentals in designated areas — so the only reliable answer comes from checking your specific council's schemes, which is the first thing we do.

Can I let the rooms while the application is being processed?

Normally yes — once a valid, complete application has been duly submitted, you can usually continue operating while the council processes it, even though that can take months. What you cannot safely do is operate with no application in: that's the period where fines and Rent Repayment Orders accrue.

What documents does an HMO licence application need?

Typically scaled floor plans showing room sizes and amenities, a current gas safety certificate, a satisfactory EICR, fire safety certificates and fire risk assessment details, fit and proper person declarations for the licence holder and manager, and a description of the management arrangements. Requirements vary by council — we compile the pack to your council's checklist.

I've been operating without a licence — what should I do?

Apply properly, and quickly. Operating a licensable HMO without a licence risks an unlimited fine or a civil penalty of up to £30,000, Rent Repayment Orders returning up to 12 months' rent, and invalid Section 21 notices — and the exposure continues until a valid application is in. We can usually assemble and submit a complete application fast, including any missing certificates.

HMO Licence Application