Mandatory HMO licensing
The national rule that any HMO occupied by five or more people forming two or more households needs a licence from the council.
In short: Mandatory HMO licensing applies across England to houses in multiple occupation with five or more occupiers from two or more households, whatever the number of storeys, since October 2018. The landlord applies to the council, pays a fee and must meet conditions such as room sizes and safety.
England. Checked against the law on 5 October 2026. Information, not legal advice.
The description is in the Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation (Prescribed Description) (England) Order 2018, made under Part 2 of the Housing Act 2004.
A licence:
- is granted to a fit and proper person, usually for up to five years;
- sets the maximum number of occupiers and households;
- comes with conditions: gas and electrical safety, smoke alarms, furniture safety, minimum bedroom sizes and waste storage.
Letting a licensable HMO without a licence is an offence: the council can prosecute or impose a civil penalty of up to £40,000, and tenants can apply for a rent repayment order.
Read more: The landlord database, the ombudsman, and licensing: checks you can make
Related: House in multiple occupation (HMO), Additional licensing, Rent repayment order
Where this comes from
Guides on this
Guide
Do I need a licence to let my property? HMO, additional and selective licensing
Five or more people from two or more households need a mandatory HMO licence. Your council may also license smaller HMOs, or every let in an area. How to check, and what happens without one.
Guide
The landlord database and ombudsman: when you must register
The Private Rented Sector Database opens region by region from 15 December 2026, and the landlord ombudsman follows. Every landlord in England will need an entry for each property before letting or advertising it.
Related terms
Glossary
Additional licensing
A council scheme that requires licences for smaller HMOs, below the mandatory threshold, in a designated area.
Glossary
Civil penalty
A fine a council can impose on a landlord or agent instead of prosecuting, for breaches of housing law such as letting an unlicensed HMO or ignoring an improvement notice.
Glossary
House in multiple occupation (HMO)
A home let to three or more people who form more than one household and share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet. HMOs have extra safety rules and often need a licence.
Glossary
Private Rented Sector Database (PRS Database)
The national register every private landlord in England, and each home they let, must join. It opens by region from 15 December 2026; all by 14 November 2027.
Glossary
Rent repayment order (RRO)
An order of the First-tier Tribunal that a landlord repay rent to a tenant, or benefits to the council, because the landlord committed certain housing offences.
Glossary
Selective licensing
A council scheme requiring a licence for privately rented homes in a designated area, including homes let to a single household.