Houses in Multiple Occupation

Find out what Houses in Multiple Occupation are, and information about planning permission, licensing, and living standards for them.

What a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) is

Your property is an HMO if:

  • 3 or more tenants are living there as more than one household
  • tenants share the kitchen, bathroom or toilet facilities

A household can be a single person, a couple or a family.

If a group of friends or professionals are sharing, each person is counted as a household. For example, a house share between 5 friends would count as 5 households.

Planning permission for HMOs

If you're changing the use of your property to an HMO, you should check if you need planning permission.

If you need a licence, you need to apply for planning permission before applying for the licence.

If you need planning permission and it isn't approved, having an HMO licence will make no difference to the decision.

HMO licensing

There are two HMO licensing schemes in the city:

Additional HMO licensing 

This scheme is for HMOs of 2 or more storeys with 3 or 4 unrelated  occupiers.

The scheme will run from 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2029. Your licence will run from the date of your application until the scheme's end.

Mandatory HMO licensing

This scheme is for HMOs occupied by 5 or more unrelated occupiers.  You always need a licence for your HMO if 5 or more tenants are living there as more than one household.

HMO standards

If your property is a licensed HMO, you need to make sure it meets our HMO Licensing Standards.

Your licence requires you to carry out any work needed on your property so that it meets these standards.

Check if a property has a licence

If you want to know if a property has a licence, you can check our property licensing register.

We cannot give out details or personal information, but we may be able to let you know if a licence has expired, or we have received a new application.

Support from us

For additional assistance with property licensing, contact our Customer Support Team:

Your feedback is invaluable in enhancing our accessibility and support. 

Should you require assistance due to disability, literacy, language, or other barriers, we're committed to providing the necessary support and reasonable adjustments. 

We're committed to helping you in every way we can.  

Private Sector Housing
  • psh@brighton-hove.gov.uk

  • Contact us if you need help with a private housing problem, or if you have a question about our private housing services.