Houses in multiple occupation (HMO)

Licensing for Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO).

HMO advisory visits

Planning permission will be required for the change of use from a dwelling house to an HMO of any size.

If you're a landlord who is thinking of renting out an empty property as a house in multiple occupation, then you may wish to seek advice and consult with the council's housing enforcement team, before going ahead with works and an HMO licensing application.

We provide a service where you can request a visit by an environmental health officer, who specialises in HMO and housing work.

The officer will visit the empty property with you or your representative, carry out a full inspection and calculate room sizes. They will then issue a schedule of the works needed to bring the property up to the full standard required for HMO use.

The fee for this service is £217.

Once you have received the advice, if you then decide to go ahead you will be required to apply for a HMO licence. The fees for the advice visit and the licence are non-refundable.

The advantage of the advice visit to you is that you would not need to apply for a licence and pay the licence fee (which would be substantially more than this inspection fee) before you are fully aware of your responsibilities and all the works that are involved. 

This advisory service only applies to properties that are currently vacant and which you are considering using as an HMO. If there are tenants living at the property then the requirements of the Housing Act 2004 must be met in relation to HMO licensing, provision of amenities and any repairs that relate to hazards in the property. As this is a legal requirement for you and a statutory duty for us, it is not possible to carry out advisory visits in these cases, however we are always happy to give general advice on your obligations.

To arrange for this visit to be made please contact us to confirm the property details and make payment. An officer will then contact you to make an appointment.