Why do I need an HMO Licence?
Just Move Estates fined £10k for failing to install smoke alarms in rented house in Leyton
Landlords warned over housing rules as £16,000 fine dished out in Wolverhampton
Landlords ordered to pay more than £6k for HMO failings
Landlord without HMO licence fined £20,000
Liverpool tries again to implement selective licensing tax
Rogue landlord fined £7,000 for not having an HMO licence
Reading Borough Council fine landlord £66k for failing to meet fire safety requirements
I would have sent you to prison if I could – Judge tells Landlord
Oxford City Council has collected a total of £31,606 in penalties for housing offences from its first three cases since the introduction of new financial penalty powers
Six month custodial sentence for criminal landlord
Landlords advised to watch out as Councils accused of not issuing enough Rent Repayment Orders
Landlord denied licences despite past conviction being ‘spent’
Brent Council raise almost £100,000 in landlord fines in just four weeks
Landlord fined £177,000 for putting tenants at risk
Landlord and Agent fined for 32 occupants in 2 bed flat
Landlord found guilty of unlawful harassment and misleading practices
Council takes to the sky to find rogue landlords
London landlord gets eye-watering £450,000 fine
University acts Criminally putting Landlords in Danger of Prosecution
Issuing 2,500 Civil and legal Landlord Penalty Notices puts £7/month on every Liverpool Rent
New figures reveal thousands of tenants are at risk of death in their properties
A Hertfordshire landlord has pleaded guilty to 28 offences resulting in a fine of over £20,000.
And this is why Landlords have a bad name
Landlord convicted of unlawfully evicting tenant now fined for running unlicensed HMO in Telford
How every Surrey council deals with complaints about about rogue landlords
Record fine highlights importance of HMO licences and compliance
Angry landlord chucks council safety inspector down the stairs in bid to thwart property inspection
Leading council has so far fined rogue agents and landlords £100,000
Repayment and banning orders may be applied to landlord
BTL landlord ordered to pay more than £25k for unlicensed properties
Speed cameras being used by Councils to create revenue new report – just like property licensing & Landlord Fines
Dawn raid finds 17 tenants crammed into sub-let HMO
HMO landlord hit with £40k fine
Crackdown on unlicensed HMOs in Islington leads to five housing prosecutions
Landlords fined £3,800 in council’s first rented homes licensing prosecution
Landlord ordered to pay £14,500 for unlicensed HMO
Rogue landlord in Harrow faces jail if he doesn’t pay £1.5m fine
Fine for landlord admitting failings
Mandatory Electrical Test (EICR) before you can let any property will be Law very soon
NLA demands councils prosecute letting agents
Rent Repayment Order £12,025 for Rent-to-Rent Flat in London SE10
Southall landlord fined £70K for HMO regulation breaches
Rent Repayment Order £8,975 against Landlord who failed to have Selective Licence
Council to crack down on Dorset Landlords in Dorset
Landlord who refused to pay for legal assistance gets stung for £28,000 in Rent Repayment Orders
Leeds landlord has been fined for renting out this mouldy, unsafe house
Brighton landlord prosecuted for unlicensed HMO
Landlord fined £60,000 for license breaches
DOZENS of landlords have been fined under a crackdown on illegal immigration
HMO landlord fined after Barnet Council investigation
Why do I need an HMO Licence?
- Because the law says so (Housing Act 2004) and your local Council can fine you often £12,000 – £15,000 for not having one.
- The main reason HMO Licences were introduced was to make properties fire safe and healthier for the occupants. This is all stuff that decent Landlords/ property owners like you would do anyway (we hope).
- But for those Landlords who prefer to play Russian Roulette with their tenants’ lives there are massive fines available for each thing you’re supposed to do but haven’t.
- The Licence alerts the Council to the fact you’re operating an HMO and the rather exorbitant fees are intended to make you pay for them inspecting your HMO to make sure you’re doing everything properly and so they can fine you if you’re not.
- You need a Mandatory HMO Licence if you have five or more sharers in your property and one or more of them is not related to all the others by blood, sexual union or household employment.
- You MAY need an Additional HMO Licence even if you only have three sharers in your property if your local Council has enacted Additional HMO Licenensing.
How should I apply for an HMO Licence?
You can do this through most Council Websites – though only do this if you know your property is compliant or will be before it commences operating.
Alternatively, you can engage us to make sure your property is fully compliant before you let the Council tell you that you’re not.
What if I’ve just realised I should have had an HMO licence long ago and I haven’t?
STOP!! You have a potential emergency on your hands.
You have been breaking the law and you face fines of frequently £12,000 to £15,000 for not having a licence and £-many-thousands more for not complying with the HMO Management regulations and the Housing Health and Safety Rating System.
Also, your Tenants can claim back ALL the rent they have paid you by way of a Rent Repayment Order. So, you need to get this situation fixed.
And fast!
Contact us immediately and we can help you to make your HMO fully compliant on a very urgent basis before you or one of your tenants / neighbours alerts the Council to your “law breaking” and exposes you to these massive potential fines.
Success Stories