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ARTICLE · 06 JUNE 2024

Licence To Let

Ellisons Legal
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Whether they like their Martinis shaken or stirred, there is one thing that all residential landlords can agree on: getting licensing requirements wrong can be a costly mistake.

United KingdomReal Estate and Construction
Rachel Brandrith
Rachel Brandrith

Whether they like their Martinis shaken or stirred, there is one thing that all residential landlords can agree on: getting licensing requirements wrong can be a costly mistake. Most of those working in the residential rental industry would have heard of the term 'HMO', but what is an HMO, what makes a HMO an HMO and are these the only types of residential properties that require a licence to be let?

What is a HMO?

A HMO is a house in multiple occupation. Whether a property is an HMO, depends on a number of factors.

The tests

The first is the 'standard test'. This says that where a property (not consisting of self-contained flats) is let to individuals who occupy the property as their only or main residence, forming more than one household, with two or more households sharing amenities, the property is a HMO.

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