Changes to mandatory licensing for landlords who provide a house in multiple occupation (HMO) will come into force on 1 October 2018.
Under the new legislation, landlords of any residential rental properties which have two or more households, and a total of five people or more, will need to apply for a mandatory HMO licence.
The new approach replaces and expands on the previous HMO regulations by no longer limiting licensing to HMOs that are three or more storeys high but, instead, applying to all HMOs with five or more occupants.
The move, which affects around 160,000 HMOs across the UK, means councils can take further action to crack down on the small minority of landlords renting out sub-standard and overcrowded homes and help ensure they’re fit for purpose.
Within the scope of the new licensing powers, all local authorities will also ensure bedrooms are a minimum size and the property complies with household waste and recycling procedures.
Landlords who already have an HMO licence will not need to re-apply until their current licence has expired.
All local authorities are responsible for licensing HMOs within their own boundary. If you’re a landlord located within Norwich City Council’s boundary, and the new regulations apply to you, visit www.norwich.gov.uk/HMO for more information and guidance.
If your property is located outside of the city council’s boundary and needs to be licensed, please get in touch with the local authority responsible for that area.
Previous licensing of HMOs
Mandatory licensing of HMOs came into force in 2006 and originally applied to properties of three storeys or more with five or more people making up two or more separate households living in them.
- More articles in the news archive
- Norwich City Council news RSS feed
