How do I get an HMO licence?

Apply to the council the property sits in, before you let it, not after.

You submit floor plans, gas and electrical safety certificates, fire alarm and emergency lighting certificates where they apply, and details of whoever manages the property. The council then inspects and either grants the licence or tells you what to put right first.

Allow months rather than weeks. Applying late is not a technicality: letting an unlicensed HMO is an offence and the tenants can reclaim up to twelve months’ rent.