Houses in Multiple Occupation

HMO licensing

B&NES Council has advised that, from 1st October, all houses in multiple occupation (HMOs), with five or more occupants in two or more households, must be licenced. The new licensing requirement has been introduced nationwide. Landlords or agents responsible for HMOs that fall under the new definition will be committing a criminal offence if they fail to apply for a licence or a temporary exemption by the deadline.

B&NES’s Cabinet has also agreed this week a proposal to extend the scope of licensing to cover HMOs which house three or four people in two or more separate households in Bath City. Further details on the additional licensing scheme will be released in the coming months.

Failing to have an HMO licence is a criminal offence and is liable on summary conviction to an unlimited fine or a civil penalty of up to £30,000 per offence.

For further details, please visit:

http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/latestnews/mandatory-licensing-hmos-extended