National changes to mandatory HMO licensing to come into effect

Under the new legislation, landlords of any residential rental properties which have two or more households, and a total of five people or more where there are shared amenities such as bathroom, toilet or cooking facilities, will need to apply for a HMO mandatory licence.

The new approach replaces and expands on the previous HMO regulations by no longer limiting mandatory licensing to HMOs that are three or more storeys high, and instead will also include buildings with one or two storeys.

The move, which affects around 160,000 HMOs across the UK, means councils can take further action to tackle 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 your property is located outside of Great Yarmouth Borough 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.