Guide
How to check if a house has an HMO licence
Updated
Whether you are a tenant checking your landlord or a buyer doing diligence, the answer is on a public register, you just have to find the right council's copy.
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, step by step
- 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.
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 12 months' rent (gov.uk), and the landlord cannot serve a valid section 21 notice while the property remains unlicensed.
Landlord and unsure whether the property is licensable in the first place? Run the checker before the council runs it for you.