Additional and Mandatory HMO Licensing
Mandatory house in multiple occupation licence
Apply for a mandatory (HMO) licence if you are a landlord of a house in multiple occupation that is shared by five or more people forming two or more households.
Apply for a mandatory (HMO) licence
Additional licence
The additional HMO licensing scheme was launched on the 1 January 2023.
View the additional HMO licensing scheme designation notice.
Apply for an additional licence if you operate a house in multiple occupation that is shared by three or four people forming two or more households.
Apply for an additional licence
What is a HMO?
A house in multiple occupation (HMO) is a property that is occupied by three or more people forming two or more separate households, where facilities such as a kitchen or bathroom are shared, or the occupants do not have exclusive occupation of the whole property. For example, HMOs can commonly be occupied by a group of individuals sharing a house or flat, individuals living in bedsit accommodation, and some properties that have been converted into several flats. Bed and breakfast and hostel accommodation occupied by individuals as their main and permanent address are also considered to be HMO.
A House in Multiple Occupation is defined by the Housing Act 2004. There are four tests that define what a HMO is:
- The standard test: Any building which consists of one or more units of accommodation which are not self-contained and where two or more households share one or more basic amenities, or where the accommodation is lacking basic amenities.
- The self-contained flat test: Any part of a building which is a self[1]contained flat, which consists of one or more units of accommodation, in which two or more households share one or more basic amenities or where the accommodation is lacking basic amenities.
- The converted building test: Any building, which has been converted and contains one or more units of accommodation, which are not self-contained (whether or not the building also consists of some self-contained units).
- Certain converted blocks of flats: Any building which has been converted into and consists of self-contained flats only, and it does not comply with 1991 Building Regulations and less than two thirds of the flats are owner occupied, (more than one third on short tenancies).
Planning Permission
If you wish to operate a house as an HMO, it must have the correct class of planning use. You may need to apply for planning permission to change it from C3 (dwelling house) to C4 (house in multiple occupation).
There is no guarantee that your planning application will be approved, but if you rent out your property you must have a property licence. If you are refused planning permission for an HMO, we cannot refund your licensing fee.
Please contact Newham’s Planning Enforcement Team planning.enforcement@newham.gov.uk for further planning requirement advice for your property.
Additional and Mandatory HMO Licensing Exemptions
In some cases, properties maybe exempt from the requirement of Additional and Mandatory HMO licensing. The following list gives those exemptions:
- Buildings controlled or managed by a Local Housing Authority
- Buildings controlled or managed by registered social landlords and housing providers.
- Buildings controlled or managed by Police.
- Buildings controlled or managed by fire brigade
- Buildings controlled or managed by Health Service Body
- Buildings regulated by other enactments
- Certain University/College accommodation occupied by students
- Buildings occupied by religious communities (except section 257 HMO’s)
- Any building occupied by two persons who form two households.
If you think that your property is exempt from the requirement of licensing, please contact us propertylicensing@newham.gov.uk
