About houses in multiple occupation

The definition of a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) is a property where:

• three or more people live
• at least two of these people are not members of the same family
• they share facilities such as a bathroom, toilet, kitchen or living room. 

If you rent, or plan to rent, to five or more people and at least two of these people are not part of the same family and they share facilities then you may need to apply for a licence. 

You will need to prove that the house:

• is a safe place for the tenants to live; 
• has suitable fire precautions in place, minimum standards of fire safety (opens new window);
• has enough facilities for the number of people living in the house.

For further detail visit the Housing Act 2004 (opens new window) 

Licence fees

The fee is in two parts, if you choose to pay both parts of the fee and the licence is refused, then we will refund the second part of the fee.

Fees for a first licence or a variation

Fees for a renewal licence

Discounts

Persons applying for a Mandatory HMO licence in Gateshead may be eligible for discounts. A discount is available to landlords who are accredited by or are members of specified schemes.

Landlords accredited under one of the following schemes may be entitled to a discount (from Part B payment):

• National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA)
• UK Association of Letting Agents (UKALA)
• Safeagent

Landlords that are a member of one of the following may be entitled to a discount (from Part B payment):

• ARLA Propertymark
• Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)
• Guild of Letting and Management
• Guild of Property Professionals
• GPLA Gateshead Private Landlords Association

Additionally, a multi-property discount is available when multiple licence applications are submitted at the same time by the same person for properties under their control. In this case, a discount of £10 is applied to each additional property after the first.

Discounts will be determined on receipt of a duly made application and applied to the Part B payment. Discounts will not be available where an application is triggered by identification by the Council that an HMO has been operating without a licence, or where a licence is granted for a shorter duration than 5 years.

Duties

If you are a landlord of a HMO property The Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (England) Regulations 2006 (opens new window) will explain what you must do. 

If you are a tenant of a HMO property the Duties of occupiers of HMO's (opens new window) will explain what you must do as an occupier. 

Planning permission

As a landlord you should also make sure that the property has planning permission to be a House in Multiple Occupation. For further information on use class visit the Planning Portal. (opens new window) 

To apply for a change of use visit Other consents for planning permission. 

Apply for a Licence for a House in Multiple Occupation.

For more information on renting a house visit Gov.UK (opens new window) 

Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) register

The HMO register lists licensed properties and includes information such as:

• licence holder
• manager
• the postal address of the property
• number of habitable rooms.
• licence details

Contact us if you would like to view the register.