Find out which Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) require a property licence under the Housing Act 2004 from 6 April 2006.
Local Authorities are required to license larger, higher risk HMOs. Councils may also license other designated types of HMO under additional licensing provisions.
This introductory guide for landlords is also available in PDF format to download below.
To check whether your property requires a licence, also see the advice leaflet from the government Landlords: Do you need a property licence?
Types of Property Needing a Licence
Compulsory licensing of HMOs required by law affects properties that:
have five or more people living in more than one household (family unit) and
either have two or more families or individuals sharing basic amenities such as bathrooms, toilets and cooking facilities
or are converted buildings which contain one or more units of accommodation that are not self-contained
A self contained unit is one which has inside it a kitchen (or cooking area), bathroom or toilet for the exclusive use of the household living in the unit.
The unit is not self contained if the occupiers need to leave the unit to gain access to any of these amenities.
Student Host Families
Licensing also applies to host families that have four or more students in a property that is three or more storeys high (including basement and attic rooms) for 90 or more days in any year.
If your property has three or more students for less than 90 days in any year, it may still be categorised as a House in Multiple Occupation. Please contact the Private Housing Team for further information.
Transition from the Eastbourne HMO Registration Scheme
The Council introduced the Eastbourne Borough Council (Registration of Houses in Multiple Occupation) Control Scheme 2000 requiring certain categories of high risk HMOs to be registered with the Council.
Most of the HMOs subject to this registration scheme, ie HMOs containing bedsits and flats sharing amenities, hostels, shared houses and guest houses and bed and breakfast establishments used for permanent housing accommodation, must be licensed under this new licensing regime.
Those properties already registered will be 'passported' into the licensing regime under transitional arrangements. The registration of such HMOs will be counted as a licence for the remainder of the registration period.
