Houses in multiple occupation (HMO) licensing

Wychavon District Council will inspect Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) to ensure that they are up to the current property standards and licensed (where required).

The information on this page will help you understand if you’re living in a HMO or as a landlord whether your property is a HMO, how to make sure it is properly licensed and your other responsibilities under the regulations governing HMOs. 

Use the links below to find the information you need:

• What is a HMO?
• Do I need a HMO licence and applications
• HMO Mandatory Licence Applications
• HMO licence fees
• Check if your landlord has applied for a licence
• Report Suspected Unlicensed HMOs
• Fire safety
• HMO Standards
• HMO regulations
• Contact the Private Sector Housing Team

What is a HMO?

HMO’s are defined in Part 7 of the Housing Act 2004. Your property is a HMO if both of the following apply:

• at least 3 tenants live there, forming more than one household
• toilet, bathroom or kitchen facilities are shared

For example, a two-bedroom house with a couple living in one bedroom and an unrelated friend in the other bedroom, where they are sharing a kitchen would be a HMO.

What is a household?

Families, related individuals, couples (including co-habiting and same sex couples), or a single person who use the property as their main residence would be classed as one household. The definition will also include other relationships such as fostering and carers as well as domestic staff who do not pay rent but live in the same property as the employer.

Do I need a HMO licence?

Wychavon District Council operates mandatory HMO licensing. If you rent a property to five or more people, not from the same household and they share facilities you must have a HMO licence. This is regulated under the Housing Act 2004 and has been in force since 2006.

Exemptions

There are certain exemptions from mandatory HMO licensing. The following properties do not need a HMO licence:

• Properties under the management or control of a local housing authority, a registered social landlord or certain other public bodies
• Properties regulated under other enactments such as children's homes, care homes and bail hostels
• Students studying a full-time course of further education and higher education at a specified education establishment which manage the building and the specified education establishment is subject to an approved Code of Practice
• Properties occupied for the purpose of a religious community whose main occupation is prayer, contemplation, education or the relief of suffering
• Properties occupied by a resident landlord, family and not more than 2 unrelated persons
• Properties occupied by only two persons each of who form a separate household

HMO Mandatory Licence Applications

Please submit an online application for a HMO Mandatory Licence. Your payment can be submitted online as part of your application.

Read the Licensing Online Application page to support your application.

Apply for a HMO licence

HMO Licence Renewal

A licence lasts up to five years and will need to be renewed. The Private Sector Housing team will automatically contact licence holders before the current licence expires. If you need to renew your licence, then please fill in our online HMO licence renewal form. Once you have made your renewal application you need to pay your HMO licence renewal fee.

HMO Licence fees

HMO Licence fees from 1 April 2026 are set out in the table below.

Please note: If you have previously submitted your certificates when you applied for your licence and the certificates are in date and have not expired, you will not need to re-submit them.

Has my landlord applied for a licence?

Under the Housing Act 2004, every local authority has to maintain a register of premises licensed as an HMO. This register has to be made available to the public. We update our register on a monthly basis.

spreadsheet View the updated HMO register (29 KB)

If you would like to view the full HMO register then you will need to do this in person. Please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to book an appointment.

Reporting Suspected Unlicensed HMOs

If you have concerns about a property you believe may be being used as a HMO without a licence then please report it to us.

Report an unlicensed HMO property

Fire safety

HMOs have a higher risk of fire than single family dwellings due to increased occupancy, multiple ignition sources, vulnerable occupants, poor construction and lack of fire prevention measures.

Fire safety is included in the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) and is inspected by the Council.

Basics precautions you should take to reduce the risk of fire in your property include:

• Remove polystyrene ceiling tiles
• Discourage use of portable gas or liquid heaters
• Ensure that the electrical wiring is safe
• Ensure that gas appliances are tested annually by a Gas Safe Engineer
• Ensure regular maintenance of all fire apparatus, fire alarms and emergency lighting in line with the current British Standards
• Provide a sensible internal layout
• Fire resistant surface finishes
• Property regularly inspected for disrepair
• Keep escape routes free from obstruction
• Hereford and Worcester Fire Authority also inspect HMO's communal areas under the Regulatory Reform Order.

HMO standards

The minimum room sizes for HMO properties with 5 or more sharing are:

• 6.51 m² for one person over 10 years of age

• 10.22 m² for two persons over 10 years of age

• 4.64 m² for one person under the age of 10 years - will be a mandatory condition that any room of less than 4.64 m² may not be used as sleeping accommodation.

pdf Read the guide to Standards for Houses of Multiple Occupation (359 KB) for more information.

HMO Regulations

If you think your property is a HMO then you will have responsibilities as the landlord or agent, and the property will have to meet certain requirements.

The government has prescribed certain standards that must be meet in HMOs that are licensable. The Licensing and Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (England) Regulations 2006 and The Licensing and Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (Additional Provisions) (England) Regulations 2007 apply.

A HMO Mandatory Licence to operate such a HMO is granted subject to compliance with the conditions in the above regulations and our HMO Standards.

The Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (England) Regulations 2006 apply to any HMO (regardless of whether a licence is required) and landlords must still ensure that they:

• Clearly display in a prominent position the landlord's name, address, and telephone number contact details in the property.
• Ensure all firefighting equipment and fire alarms are serviced and maintained in good working order.
• Ensure that the fire escape is kept free from obstruction and is in a good state of repair.
• Undertake measures to protect the occupier of the HMO from injury with regard to the HMO design, structure conditions and number of occupiers. This would include the provision of mains wired smoke detectors, self-closing fire doors, provision of a suitable fire escape route, ensuring roof coverings are safe, any low-level windowsills have bars or window restrictors.
• To maintain water supply and drainage.
• To supply and maintain gas and electricity. Gas Safe certificates to be undertaken annually.
• To maintain common parts, fixtures, fittings, and appliances. Including, for example, banisters, handrails, stair coverings, windows, light fittings, gardens, outbuildings, boundary fences.

In addition, all privately rented properties, including HMOs, require a valid electrical safety certificate to be undertaken at least every 5 years and a valid EPC of grade E or above at the start of the tenancy.

Tenant Responsibilities

The tenant may be responsible under terms of a tenancy agreement but under the Regulations the manager is responsible for ensuring that things are put right when problems occur. This is because the failure of one tenant can result in the other tenants being put at risk.

Under the above Regulations the tenant responsibilities are:

• Take care not to hinder the manager in the performance of their duties.
• Allow access to the manager at reasonable times so that he/she can carry out his duties.
• Provide information which the manager may require to comply with his/her duties.
• Take care to avoid damaging the property
• Comply with the managers arrangements for the storage and disposal of rubbish
• Comply with the manager's reasonable instructions in respect of means of escape from fire, prevention of fire and use of fire equipment.
• These responsibilities are usually more appropriate to pursue by the manager under his/her powers under the tenancy agreement.

Waste disposal

As part of the requirements for a HMO licence, you must comply with any local waste policy relating to the storage and disposal of the household waste pending collection from the HMO.