House in multiple occupation licence

If you rent out a property for houses in multiple occupation (HMO) in our Borough you may require a licence from us.

There are three different licensing regimes for housing:

1. Mandatory licensing of large HMOs
2. Additional licensing (optional) for smaller HMOs in select areas
3. Selective licensing (optional) for other rented accommodation in select areas.

We currently only operate a Mandatory Licensing Scheme.

If you don’t know whether your property would be a large HMO and therefore require a licence please see the below guidance:

• A summary of the regulation relating to this licence
• Eastleigh Borough Council Licensing Information Pack and Amenity & Space Standards Guide
• Government advice on renting out your property

LEGISLATION CHANGES
The legislation for Mandatory Licensing has changed. The changes mean that Mandatory Licensing will no longer apply to just large HMOs, but any HMO where there are five or more occupants will be required to be licensed.

The change came into effect on 1 October 2018. Any HMO found to require a licence but to have not submitted an application form after the 1 October 2018 will  be open to enforcement action.  

Licences may be granted if:

• the house is, or can be, made suitable for multiple occupation
• the applicant is the most appropriate person to hold the licence
• the licence holder and any proposed manager has control of the house, and is found to meet the fit and proper test
• the management arrangements are satisfactory
• All required certification and paperwork is provided.

There is a charge for the HMO licence which is charged in 2 stages:

• The first payment is required to be paid in full when submitting your application and is non-refundable.
• The second payment is only payable where an application has been processed and the decision made to grant a licence.  The licence will only be issued and send out once the second payment has been made.
• Example licence conditions
• List of current charges

If you have any enquiries, please email our Housing Standards team.