Guide

How to check if a property has an HMO licence

Updated 2026-08-15

Whether you are a tenant checking your landlord or a buyer doing diligence, an HMO licence check ends on a public register: you just have to find the right council's copy.

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The public HMO register

Under section 232 of the Housing Act 2004, every local housing authority must keep a public register of the HMO licences (and selective licences) it has granted, including the property address, the licence holder and the permitted number of occupants. There is no single national register, each council publishes its own.

How to check an HMO licence online, step by step

This is how to check if a property is HMO registered, and whether its licence is still current:

Find the council for the address at gov.uk/find-local-council.
Search the council's website for 'HMO register' or 'public register of licensed HMOs', most publish a searchable page or a downloadable list.
If it is not online, ask: councils must make the register available for inspection, and will usually email an extract on request.
Match the exact address and check the licence's expiry date and permitted occupancy, not just its existence.

Buying an HMO, or letting a property that should be on the register and is not? An HMO licensing specialist can confirm the licence position for the address with the council and handle the application or the due diligence for you.

If a licensable property isn't on the register

Absence from the register does not always mean an offence, the property may not need a licence, or an application may be pending. But if a property that clearly meets the licensing test (or sits in an additional or selective area) has no licence, report it to the council's private-sector housing team. Tenants of an unlicensed licensable property can apply to a tribunal for a rent repayment order of up to two years' rent, for offences committed on or after 1 May 2026, and up to one year's rent for earlier offences (gov.uk).

Landlord and unsure whether the property is licensable in the first place? Run the HMO check before the council runs it for you.

Need your HMO licensed or checked?

We'll introduce you to an HMO licensing consultant or specialist who handles applications and compliance for your council area.

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Questions, answered directly

Can I check if a property has an HMO licence online?

Usually, yes. Most councils publish their register of licensed HMOs as a searchable page or a downloadable list; if yours does not, the council must make it available for inspection and will usually email an extract on request.

How to find out if a house is an HMO

Here is how to check if a property is an HMO: a house shared by 3 or more people from 2 or more households with shared facilities is an HMO, and mandatory licensing starts at 5 people. A licensed HMO is on the council's public register; for one that is not, the checker on the home page runs the test.

Is there a national HMO register?

No. Each local council keeps its own public register of licensed HMOs under section 232 of the Housing Act 2004, find the council for the address on gov.uk, then search its register.

What can tenants do if their HMO is unlicensed?

Report it to the council, and apply to the First-tier Tribunal for a rent repayment order. For offences committed on or after 1 May 2026 up to two years' rent can be reclaimed where the landlord let a licensable property without a licence; for earlier offences the maximum is one year's rent.

Sources

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