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Houses in Multiple Occupation

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Applying for a New or Renewing your HMO Licence

If you are applying for a new or to renew your existing House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) licence with Rushcliffe Borough Council please review the information on this page and click on the appropriate link at the bottom of this page to take you to the online application form.

HMO Licensing Information

Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) became mandatory in April 2006 with the introduction of the Housing Act 2004. This means that larger, higher risk HMOs will most likely require a licence, if they meet all of the following criteria:

  • Five or more occupants
  • Two or more separate households.

The Act also allows for additional and selective licensing of properties which means that particular types of properties, or properties in certain defined areas, will also have to be licensed.

In Rushcliffe, there is currently no additional or selective licensing. Licences can last up to five years and will have conditions attached to them that must be complied with.

For a licence to be issued the Council must be satisfied that the landlord is a fit and proper person. That satisfactory management arrangements are in place and that the property meets certain standards in relation to facilities and amenities.  The owner and/or manager of a licensable House in Multiple Occupation is required to provide a current Basic Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Certificate at the time of applying for a new or renewal licence.

Within 5 years of a licensing inspection being carried out the Council is required to do a visit. This is to assess whether there are any hazards that warrant action by carrying out a housing health and safety rating system inspection.

The Council has a Public Register with information on all the houses in multiple occupation in Rushcliffe. Please see our privacy statement in regard to this register and the general privacy policy at Privacy Policy - Rushcliffe Borough Council. Details of how to view the register is at the bottom of this page.

Fire safety in HMOs 

Whenever a housing health and safety rating system inspection is carried out, a fire risk rating is done. As part of the licensing process landlords will be asked to provide an adequate fire detection system. It will be recommended that adequate fire separation and emergency lighting is also provided.

Guidance on what you are likely to be asked to be able to achieve is available on the Decent and Safe Homes website. It must be noted that this is guidance and the type of detection and separation that is required must reflect the risk from the layout of the property, the length of tenancies and the behaviour of the occupiers that are resident at the property.

General information 

If you rent out a property for multiple occupation you may require a licence from the local authority. The current fees are for a maximum five year period, but a licence can be issued for less than 5 years where standards are not met.

Am I eligible? 

Any house that is occupied by 5 or more persons who do not form part of the same household (a family) will require a licence. 

The applicant will be the owner of the house or the managing agent. The details of all owners, managing agents and person with interest in the property will be required in the application form together with full details of the house including plans and certificates.

Will tacit authority apply

No.

What happens next?

Once your application form and certificates have been submitted the authority will process the application and make arrangements for the property to undergo a full amenity check.
Once this has been carried out the Council will issue you a draft licence, you will have a minimum of 14 days to make comments on this draft.

At the expiration of the above period the Council having taken into consideration any comments made will issue the licence with conditions if applicable. These conditions may require work to be completed at the premises and will allocate time scales when these must be carried out.

What if my application is refused?

If your application is refused, you should contact the Council to discuss the reasons and your rights as to make an appeal.

You may appeal to the Residential Property Tribunal regarding the conditions attached to a licence or to revoke or vary it. The appeal must be made within 28 days from the decision being made.

Consumer complaints

We would always advise that in the event of a complaint the first point of contact should be made with the service provider (the Council). If this has not worked and you are located in the UK then contact Consumer Protection or if outside the UK contact the UK European Consumer Centre.

Apply online

Initial/NEW HMO Licence Application online

We have introduced a new online application form for  HMO applications and have discontinued the .gov.uk pdf application process.

The fees payable on application are shown here Fees for Houses in Multiple Occupation (HiMO) - Rushcliffe Borough Council and will be required to be paid at the end of the online form. The form will calculate your fee based on the number of rooms applied for.

You will require relevant information to be provided at the time of your online application, pay the fee, and make the relevant declarations, which are part of the online application process. You can save your application if you create an account using the ‘Log in to save’ button on the initial page.

Relevant information will/may include the following as example:

  • DBS Certificate less than 12 months old (all applications)
  • HMO PLANS,
  • Landlord's Gas Safety Record
  • current Electrical Installation and Condition Report
  • Fire Detection and Alarm System Inspection and Servicing Report
  • PAT test cert
  • Smoke and Co1 Detection and Alarm System Inspection and Servicing Report
  • Copy of tenancy agreement
  • Ownership
  • Leasehold information
  • Mortgage status
  • be able to make an online payment of the appropriate fee

We are not accepting paper based or emailed PDF submissions. Any application must be via the online processes shown below.

Use this link to start a New Application:

Renew your current HMO Licences Application online:

The fees payable at the end of the application form are shown here: Fees for Houses in Multiple Occupation (HiMO) - Rushcliffe Borough Council. The fees vary according to the size of the HiMO. Please ensure you pay the correct fee for the size of your HiMO.  

You will be notified when your current licence is about to expire and this will include the reference number you will need to start the renewal online form application. You will also require certain relevant information, pay the fee at the end, and make the relevant declarations which are part of the online renewal application process.

The case reference number from your existing licence, will be in the format of NN/NNNNN/HMOLI, where N are digit’s 0-9. If you do not have this please contact us.

Use this link to renew your licence.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you Licence has passed its renewal date you will be required to apply as a new applicant. It is an offence to operate a HMO without a licence.

Variation of a HMO licence  

If there has been a material change in circumstances at a property which currently holds a HMO licence a variation in licence may be required. 

It will be necessary to apply for a variation where the licence holder proposes to increase the permitted occupancy. There is a Fee to vary an existing licence if this involves such a change. 

Licences are not transferable to another person or company and if the owners of the property have changed then a new licence application is required.

You should contact us if there is:

  • a change of address, or a new manager appointed
  • a property being altered or extended and permitted number of occupants increased
  • a variation due to policy or legislation changes is required

Registers

Details of the prescribed content of the register are available here The Licensing and Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation and Other Houses (Miscellaneous Provisions) (England) Regulations 2006

Registers are available on the online registers and selecting HMO's in the category section or upon request by emailing Licensing@rushcliffe.gov.uk.

Contact Us

Rushcliffe Borough Council Licensing team

Document List

RBC Fit And Proper Person Test Protocol

RBC HMO Amenity Standards October 2018

Private Sector Housing Civil Penalties Enforcement Framework

 

Other Licences