Guide

How to check if a house has an HMO licence

Updated 2026-08-15

How to check if a landlord has an HMO licence, as a tenant or a buyer: an HMO licence check ends on a public register, held by the right council.

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Question 1

What do you want to find out?

A tenant, a neighbour and a buyer are checking whether a property already has a licence: the council's public register answers that. A landlord or agent is asking whether a property needs one.

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. It includes the property address, the licence holder and the permitted number of occupants.

There is no single national register, which is why how to check if a house has an HMO licence starts with which council it sits in.

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.
Run the HMO register check on the council's website: search it 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. It can reach two years' rent for offences committed on or after 1 May 2026, and one year's rent for earlier offences (gov.uk).

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

Letting an HMO? Get the licence and certificates sorted

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Questions, answered directly

Can I check if a property has an HMO licence?

Yes, anyone can. The register of licensed HMOs is public by law under section 232 of the Housing Act 2004. A tenant, buyer or neighbour can search the council's copy or ask for an extract, with no reason needed.

How can I check if a property has an HMO licence online?

Through the council, usually online. 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 one. 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. Where the landlord let a licensable property without a licence, up to two years' rent can be reclaimed for offences on or after 1 May 2026. For earlier offences the maximum is one year's rent.

What is the HMO register?

The public list each council keeps of the HMO licences it has granted, with the property address, the licence holder and the permitted number of occupants. It is the council's own register; there is no single register for England.

Sources

This site's own datasets, every figure quoted from its source and dated:

The median published figure in the HMO Licence Fee Index is 1,227 GBP across 12 sources' own pages (range 708 to 1,886 GBP), read 12 October 2026.
The HMO Statutory Standards carries 5 published figures read from 5 sources' own pages, from 3 to 5 year, read 7 November 2026.

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