Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMOs)

HMOs are an important form of accommodation in our borough, where residents rent a room and share certain facilities. This section provides information around HMO standards, licensing requirements and whether planning and building consent are required. You can also report a licensable HMO or where you have concerns about the property condition.

Contents

When is it licensable?

A house or flat is a house in multiple occupation (HMO) if:

  • occupants share basic amenities (toilet, bathroom and/or kitchen)
  • it is occupied by at least three people (adults and children)
  • they form at least two households
  • it is their only or main residence
  • rent is payable (includes when accommodation provided instead of wages)

A HMO (house/flat) must be licensed if it is:

  • occupied by five or more people
  • flats that have five or more occupants from two or more households who share facilities, but it is not a purpose-built block compromising of three or more self-contained flats

Further information about HMOs

Term Definition
Number of persons If one or two people live together (whether related or not) this is NOT an HMO. The threshold for creating an HMO is three or more people. Children are counted as equal to adults when determining if a property is an HMO.
Single household A household may be:
(i) a single person, or
(ii) several members of the same family
The same family A married couple or equivalent co-habiting arrangement
A relative (parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, sibling, uncle, aunt, niece, nephew or cousin)
Relationship of half-blood is treated as whole blood
Stepchildren and foster children are treated as own children
Self-contained flats A self-contained flat has a kitchen, bathroom and toilet inside it for the exclusive use of the household living in the flat. If the occupiers need to leave the flat to access any of these amenities, then it is not self-contained.
Resident (live in) landlords A resident landlord (owner not a tenant subletting) and family may share a house with one or two unrelated lodgers without the need for an HMO Licence. A third lodger means the house is an HMO and it must be licensed.
Domestic employees If you have someone living with you (and your family) who does domestic work and does not pay rent, they (and their family) are considered part of your household.
 
Domestic employees include:
Au pair, Nanny, Nurse, Carer, Servant (including maid, cook or cleaner), Gardener, Personal assistant 
Live-in adult carer A professional carer may live with up to three adult service users as a single household.
Foster families A person living with their foster family are considered a single household.
Migrants, seasonal workers and asylum seekers
A migrant worker, seasonal worker, or asylum seeker occupies a property as their only or main residence if they meet the definitions stipulated in Regulation 5 of the Licensing and Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation and Other Houses (Miscellaneous Provisions) (England) Regulations 2006.

Examples:

  1. You rent a flat with your friend - this is TWO people in TWO households = not HMO
  2. You rent a house with your partner and your partner's brother - this is THREE people in ONE household = not HMO
  3. You rent a house with your partner and a friend - this is THREE people in TWO households = HMO
Next Standards and management regulations

Standards and management regulations

Minimum HMO standards

As well as the national standards, all HMOs in the borough are required to meet locally set standards. Details of these can be found in the link below

They are all regularly inspected by the Housing Standards Team.

They are subject to The Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (England) Regulations 2006, irrespective of their licensable status and will be subject to periodic inspections from the Housing Standards team. To register your HMO please contact the Housing Standards Team.

HMO Management Regulations

All must comply with the Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (England) Regulations 2006.

PDF document HMO Standards 2024(PDF) [3 Mb]

Previous HMO licensing Next Planning permission and building regulations

Planning control and Article 4 direction

Planning permission is required to convert a C3 dwelling house (standard house) to an HMO in Basingstoke Town and Chineham, and the surrounding villages of Old Basing, Oakley and Sherborne St John

Do I need planning permission

Planning permission is also required to increase an HMO from six to seven or more tenants (this is because large HMOs are in their own distinct use class ‘sui generis’).

For more information about planning view Article 4 Direction webpage.

Building Control

Certain works require building regulation approval, for more information visit the Building Control webpage.

Previous Standards and management regulations Next Apply, renew or change a licence

Apply, renew or change a licence

Apply for a new licence

You must apply for an HMO licence as soon as possible, ideally before the use of the property as an HMO commences.

A valid new application requires you to:

  • complete the application form
  • pay the stage one fee (debit or credit card)

You’ll need to provide the following supporting documents:

  • proof of applicant photo ID and address
  • floor plan with dimensions (in metric figures) and locations of all smoke/heat detectors, fire doors and emergency lighting positions.
  • current satisfactory Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) or Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC)
  • current fire and smoke detection/alarm test certificate
  • current fire risk assessment
  • current gas safety certificate (where appropriate)
  • current emergency lighting testing certificate (where fitted)

Applications are not considered valid and will not be processed until payment and all the above documentation is received.

Apply for a new licence

Renew a licence

You must renew your House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) licence before it expires. If your renewal date has passed then the application will be considered a new licence rather than renewing an existing.

A valid renewal application requires you to:

  • complete the renewal form
  • pay the stage one fee (Debit or credit card)

You will need to provide the following supporting documents:

  • a floor plan of the buildings you are intending to licence
  • a current gas safety certificate (where appropriate)
  • current satisfactory Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) or Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC)
  • fire risk assessment
  • current emergency lighting testing certificate (where fitted)

Applications are not considered valid and will not be processed until payment and all the above documentation is received.

Apply to renew a licence

Licence variation

An existing HMO licence is not transferable so if the licence holder or ownership has changed then a new HMO application is required.

Where circumstances are changing or you would like to make changes to the existing licence you will need to apply to vary the licence for example; changes to the layout or numbers or changes to the HMO manager.

You will need to complete the relevant sections of the form and provide updated plans if there have been any layout changes. We may contact you for additional documents depending on the change(s) requested. There is no charge to vary a licence.

Apply to vary licence

Licensing fees

Type Fee on application Fee on grant of licence Total
New application
(5 year licence)		 £475.00 £601.00 £1,076.00
Renewal
(5 year licence)		 £411.00 £601.00 £1,012.00
Discounted renewal*
(5 year licence)		 £411.00 £550.00 £961.00
HMO application
(2 year licence)		 £475.00 £240.00 £715.00

*All valid renewals received complete with all supporting documents and application fee at least 28 days before he existing licence expires shall qualify for a 5% discount. The discount will be applied at the point the licence is granted.

Application fees can only be paid online by card. In exceptional circumstances payment can be made via BACs transfer. If you cannot pay online call us on 01256 844844.

Licence granted

Licence will be granted if:

  • the property is or can be made suitable for multiple occupation
  • the applicant is a fit and proper person and the most appropriate person to hold the licence
  • the proposed manager has control of the house and is fit and proper person to be the manager
  • the proposed management arrangements are satisfactory

For more information contact Housing Standards

Temporary Exemption Notice (TEN)

If the property is licensable but this is going to change then as an interim measure a TEN can be applied for, for example, if the property is for sale. TEN exempts the premises from licensing for three months. It may be extended for a further three months but only in extenuating circumstances. Download the form below.

Application for a Temporary Exemption Notice for a HMO

It is necessary to provide the following information:

  • address of property requiring a temporary exemption
  • applicant details. Please provide your name, address and contact details (email, telephone number)
  • identify your role in relation to the property e.g. owner, agent.
  • a full explanation and evidence, as to why this property is valid for a temporary exemption from the licensing scheme.
  • declaration – As the applicant it is mandatory to declare that to the best of your knowledge the information you have provided is correct.

Complete the application form and send it to ehteam@basingstoke.gov.uk as soon as possible. There is no fee for a temporary exemption notice.

Your application will be processed and reviewed. You will receive either:

  • a notice informing you that a temporary exemption has been granted; or
  • a notice of refusal informing you that the council has refused to grant the temporary exemption.
Previous Planning permission and building regulations Next Register

Register of HMO licences

Details of all licensed HMOs are published on the public register.

The Council also hold records for non-licensable HMOs (four people or under), these are not on the public register.

Excel document Register of licensed HMOs - October 2025(XLSX) [18 kb]

Previous Apply, renew or change a licence Next Unlicensed HMO

Report an unlicensed HMO

You can report any concerns by contacting our Housing Standards Team if you suspect a property is a HMO and

  • is not licensed when it should be and/or
  • falls below the standards required

You can find out which properties are defined as HMOs by viewing our Houses in Multiple Occupation webpage.

Tell us as much as you know about the address and we will investigate, such as:

  • number of storeys
  • number of occupants
  • any owners or agents
  • who is rent paid to, do you have a tenancy agreement and was a deposit taken
  • anything you have concerns about

We will treat all reports received in confidence.

Previous Register Next Report an HMO in disrepair

Report an HMO in disrepair

If you wish to report a disrepair or hazards in a HMO you should first make your landlord aware. If this has not been successful in solving the issue, please contact Housing Standards Team for advice.

Rent repayment orders

If you live in a rented house and your landlord has committed a relevant offence, then you may be able to claim the rent back via a Rent Repayment Order.

We can recover Housing Benefit paid to landlords who have committed offences to prevent them from benefitting from their crimes.

Visit our Rent Repayment Order page for more information

Previous Unlicensed HMO Next Rent repayment orders

Rent Repayment Orders

You can apply for up to 100% of your rent to be repaid if:

  1. You were living in a house where your landlord committed one of the following offences:
    - let the house as an unlicensed property
    2. - failed to comply with an Improvement Notice
    - failed to comply with a Prohibition Order



  2. You need to be able to demonstrate to the First-tier Tribunal (FtT) that the offence was committed. You can do this in the following ways:
    - your landlord has been prosecuted
    - your landlord has received a financial penalty
    - it can be demonstrated beyond all reasonable doubt that the landlord committee the offence

  3. You apply to the First-tier Tribunal (FtT) for a Rent Repayment Order (RRO):
    - You can apply for up to 100% of your rent to be repaid to you (minus any Universal Credit), covering the period when you were living in the house and the offence was being committed by your landlord, up to a maximum of 12 months
    - you must apply to the Tribunal within 12 months of the date when the offence was committed
    - you must have been living in the property when the offence occurred, or was ongoing to be eligible to apply

When determining how much rent to order your landlord to repay, the First-tier Tribunal will generally consider:

  • the conduct of the landlord and the tenant
  • the financial circumstances of the landlord
  • whether the landlord has been convicted of the offence

We can advise you on the process and provide supporting evidence.

Organisations such as the Citizen Advice or Shelter may be able to help tenants recover rent in this manner.

Technical guidance on Rent Repayment Orders is available on GOV.UK.

Previous Report an HMO in disrepair
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