Harrogate Borough Council
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HMO Licensing
This section will be regularly updated with the latest information and guidance. Application forms will be available to download shortly.
Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) Licensing
New legislation
As of 6th April 2006 all landlords and property managing agents who let large houses in multiple occupation need to apply for an HMO licence. From 6th July 2006 landlords and agents who fail to apply for a licence may face fines of up to £20,000, a criminal record and potentially, rent repayment orders.
In Harrogate District properties of three or more floors, with five or more tenants belonging to two or more households are required by law to be licensed.
If you are a landlord whose HMOs were already registered under the one of the Council's three Registration Schemes (Dragons Area 1, Franklins Area 2, Valleys Area 3) which were in force before 6th April and your property meets the criteria for licensing you will be passported into the new scheme. You do not have to do anything at the moment. We will contact you with details of any paperwork that may need completing. Once a new licence has been issued it will run until your registration would have ended. If your registration was due to end within the next six months we will also send you a full application form for a licence.
If your properties were registered under any of the three schemes mentioned above and your HMO does not meet t he criteria for licensing your registration will no longer apply and you will not have to apply for a licence. This is because it is the intention of the Council to revoke this 'Additional Licensing' which would have automatically required these properties to be licensed. However, you still need to abide by HMO management regulations which ensure that properties are managed properly on a day-to-day basis.
We will grant you a licence if we are satisfied that:
- the proposed licence holder (which can be the landlord or managing agent) are 'fit and proper' people
- the property and the tenancy are managed appropriately
- the accommodation meets all minimum standards such as sufficient number of toilets, kitchens and bathrooms for the number of residents
- Licences may be issued with certain conditions attached.
The 'Standard' licence fee for properties in the Harrogate District is £330 and is based upon a 5 bedroom/household property.
The number of households in a property, for the purposes of licensing, is equal to either:
- The number of bedrooms in a shared house/flat
- The number of bedsitting rooms in a property split into bedsit accommodation
- The number of units of accommodation where a property is a mixture of self-contained, bedsit and/or shared accommodation