Apply for a HMO licence

You need a Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) licence if you own a property that is occupied by 5 or more people forming 2 or more households, regardless of the number of floors in the property.

New HMO Licensing fees and charging structure

New fees and charges for mandatory HMO Licensing apply from 1 February 2024.

Fees are charged in two parts:

• Part 1 Fee is payable with the initial licence application
• Part 2 Fee is payable once a draft licence has been issued

An online licensing portal will replace our current application process. It will be introduced over the coming months.

Licensing standards and conditions

The licensing standards for HMOs for fire safety and amenities which HMOs in Sheffield need to meet can be found under Supporting information. There are separate standards for each category of HMO.

The law on houses in multiple occupation is in The Housing Act 2004 and The Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation (Prescribed Description) (England) Order 2018.

Who needs to apply for a licence

You need to apply if your property meets the requirements for a licence. This is also the case for any single flat that is an HMO, unless it's a flat in a purpose-built block of flats comprising three or more flats.

You need to nominate a person or company to be the licence holder.

An HMO licence is not transferable.

If you want to take over a licence held by another landlord or family member, you will need to apply for a new licence. Do this using the 'New HMO licence application form'.

About the licence

You’ll need a separate licence for every HMO you rent out.

The licence is normally valid for a maximum of 5 years. In certain circumstances we may consider a shorter duration to be more appropriate.

When to apply

For new licence applications you can apply shortly before the property is occupied. This should be no more than four weeks before the anticipated start date of new tenancy agreements.
 
For existing licence holders, you can renew your HMO licence from 2 months before it expires. You can apply to make changes to your current licence at any time.

What training you need

Landlords and managers of a licensable HMO must attend professional landlord training. This is to meet the HMO licence conditions.

You should attend training on the law and legal requirements for managing an HMO within one year of getting the licence.

This requirement is met if you have attended suitable training in the 5 years before the licence is granted.

If you have already attended a relevant training course, please send your certificates in with your HMO licence application form.

Keep your training certificates. They should show the course provider, date of attendance and learning outcomes. 

As a minimum the training content should cover:

• landlord repairing duties
• arranging access to properties for repairs, general maintenance, and property improvements
• identifying hazards in the property and reducing the risk from hazards
• HMO management regulations
• basic tenancy rights including ending an Assured Tenancy
• rental reform: what it means for landlord and tenants

Many professional landlord organisations provide training for landlords. Landlords who are members of these organisations often get a discount on training.

What happens once you have made an application

Your application will be assessed to confirm that you need a licence and to ensure that the correct type of application has been made.

If we approve, you will be granted a licence, subject to licensing conditions.

We aim to issue the licence within 16 weeks of a valid application being submitted. However, this time frame is subject to change during times of raised demand for services.

Tacit consent

Tacit consent does not apply. Tacit consent is where the applicant can act as though the licence has been granted, if they have not heard from us within a certain time.

If you have not heard from us within 2 months of making an application, you should contact us.

How to apply

Pay your application fees

On the same day as making an application you should pay your Part 1 Fee. Payments can be made online.

Apply by email

You can download and print the application form to complete by hand or open and complete it in Microsoft Word.

If you complete it in Word, make sure to save the document with a new name and send it to us as an attachment by email. If you complete it by hand, please scan the completed form into PDF format and return it to us by email to hmo@sheffield.gov.uk. You should include the email receipt for your Part 1 Fee as an attachment with your application.

If there are more than two licence holders or managers, you should submit an additional fit and proper declaration form with your application.

The application form gives full details of the correct fee and other enclosures required in addition to the application. This includes gas and electrical certificates and a sketch floorplan giving the layout of the property. You can download an example of a floorplan in this page's supporting information.

Please use the latest version of the application form provided.

How to make an appeal or a complaint

If you want to appeal a decision or make a complaint about your HMO licence or application, you can email HMO@sheffield.gov.uk.