Landlords and House in Multiple Occupation (HMOs)

Definition of an HMO is any property which is occupied by at least 3 persons who are not members of the same household

To license your HMO

To be a licensable HMO the property must be occupied by at least 5 persons who comprise of two or more households and share at least one basic amenity such as a bathroom or kitchen.

For more details please refer to sections 254 to 259 of the Housing Act 2004

Typical examples of HMOs

• A house let as individual bedsits
• A group of rooms on each floor let to single occupants such as students or working single persons
• Hostels, some hotels and guest houses maybe considered as HMOs if they are accommodating homeless referrals
• Lodgings and shared houses
• Houses converted into self-contained flats

License your HMO

1. You can download the application from here
2. Once completed the application can either be posted or emailed to us, here are our contact details

Fees

The HMO licence is usually issued for a period of up to 5 years and the fee is £133.35 per person.

Payment can be made here.

1. Click on the link to the online payment page.
2. Select ‘Licensing’ from the first drop down field.
3. Select ‘HMOs’ from the second drop down field.
4. Enter the first line of the HMO address in the ‘Reference’ field.
5. Enter the amount you want to pay.
6. Enter your email address, so that the system can send you a receipt for your payment.

Amenity standards

Here are the standards you are required to comply with as a HMO landlords:

HMO Amenity standards

Inspections of Houses in Multiple Occupation

We are committed to ensuring that all occupiers of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) live in safe and healthy homes and we routinely inspect all licensed HMOs.

We may also inspect in response to complaints.

We inspect in accordance with the Housing Health and Safety Rating System.

We will advise you on:

1. Fire safety
2. Reducing other potential hazards

Any enforcement action arising from our inspections will in the first instance be based on advising and educating you and any occupants.

Public register of licensed Houses in Multiple Occupation

Here are the current lists of licensed Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) in Bromsgrove District and Redditch Borough.

The link below will show you if a landlord has a current licence for a property.

Redditch HMO public register

If you think there is a property that should be on these lists as a licensable HMO but is not, please contact us.

Advice for tenants

If you rent a property from a landlord that is convicted of failing to license that property as an HMO as required, the landlord may have to pay you back any rent you paid over the period that property should have been licensed, up to a maximum twelve months. You'd have to apply for this through the Residential Property Tribunal.