Luton Borough Council

HMOs - advice for landlords

If you're a landlord or someone who owns or manages a house in multiple occupation (HMO), you have a responsibility to maintain certain standards at the property.

You must ensure that:

the property is kept in good repair - we assess the condition of housing with reference to the Housing Health & Safety Rating System (download a guide below)
there's an adequate number of amenities, such as toilets, bathrooms, cooking facilities etc - download ‘HMO standards’ below to view minimum requirements
there are adequate fire precautions, such as fire doors, smoke detectors, alarms etc - download the ‘guide to fire safety standards for residential properties in Bedfordshire’ below to view minimum requirements
the property is a suitable size and layout for the number of people or occupants living there - download ‘HMO standards’ below to view minimum requirements
common parts of the property, eg staircase, shared lounge, fire escapes fixtures and fittings etc, are kept in good order - view the minimum requirements by downloading 'management regulations' below

Since 2020 under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 there has been an additional requirement for all private rented homes to have an electrical installations condition report, carried out at least every five years by a suitably qualified engineer, and for any code one or two fault to be rectified.

The new regulations and goverment guidence for landlords can be found on the GOV.UK website.

Visit the page Registered Competent Person to find local electricians that belong to approved schemes, please choose from those who are qualified to carry out electrical testing.

Please read the guidence carefully. Local authorities may impose financial penalty of up to £30,000 on landlords who are in breach of their duties.

October 2023 (HMO) Additional licensing public notice

Mandatory HMO licensing

The mandatory HMO licensing scheme continues. You'll need a licence if you own or manage a property anywhere in Luton and it is occupied by five or more persons, forming two or more households who share common amenities like a bathroom or kitchen.

If you operate an HMO and have not applied for a licence, you run the risk of prosecution. Operating an HMO without the proper licence is a criminal offence and carries an unlimited fine on summary conviction. In addition, tenants will be able to claim back a year’s worth of rent from you.

What information will I need to provide with the application form?

Please note that we'll only process applications which are valid - this means that each application for each property must be fully completed. You should note that incomplete applications will be rejected and an administration fee of £130 retained.

Within the form you will need to provide details including:

the number of letting rooms, storeys and occupants including any children/families
statements and declarations that the licence holder(s), person(s) in control and or managing the property are ‘fit and proper persons’ and a statement
declaration that any furniture and furnishings within the property comply with The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire)(Safety) Regulations 1988 (as amended)
details of the management arrangements, for example how you or your manager deal with:

complaints from tenants
tems of disrepair
emergencies

Required documents/certificates for all properties

If there is gas at the property a current Landlords Gas Safety Certificate - the certificate must be carried out by a competent Engineer (within the last 12 months) and must cover any gas appliances within the property.
Current (within the last five years) Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) - the report must be carried out by a competent engineer registered with one of the following professional bodies:
- NICEIC
- ECA
- ELESCA
- NAPIT
Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)
Copy of the existing Tenancy Agreement/Rental Contract(s), or if the premises are currently unoccupied, a copy of the agreements you propose to issue to your tenants.
Residency check – you will be required to demonstrate that you are entitled to reside and remain in the United Kingdom, such as a valid UK Passport, or a permanent residence card issued by the Home Office.

For HMOs, you will require the following documents in addition to those detailed above A copy of floor plans showing the layout of the property, we recommend that each floor is drawn on 1 side of A4 sheet of paper and must show the following:

number, type and location of any smoke/heat detectors, emergency lighting and any fire alarm control panels including any ‘remote hush, test and locate switches,
where each fire door is located, the plans must also show the location of each window and staircase
show the location of kitchens, bathrooms, WCs, sinks, wash hand basins and any other common areas such as lounges and dining rooms
any cupboards located under any staircases and on any halls or landings
any chimney breasts in any rooms including the number and location of any electrical sockets
the measurements of each bedroom, flat, bedsit and any common rooms such as kitchens, kitchen/diners, lounge and dining rooms

The plans do not have to be to scale but the measurements and layout of the property and each room must be accurate, you can show the measurements in square metres for each room or you can show the room dimensions this will enable us to assess how many people can occupy the property.

For more information on space standards in HMOs please refer to the council’s HMO standards

Please note: the council can do floor plans for you but there is a charge for this service (please see property licence fees for more details). An example floor plan is downloadable from the councils HMO - advice for landlords.

A fire alarm test certificate complying with BS5839 (tested within the last 12 months)
If an emergency lighting system is present, a test certificate complying with BS5266 (tested within the last 12 months)
Fire safety checklist

Please note: this document doesn’t constitute a fire risk assessment (FRA). In licensed HMOs, under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, a suitable and sufficient written FRA must be carried out by a competent person

This could be by, or on behalf of, the licensee/prospective licensee, and is required in order to establish and reduce both the risk of fire occurring and the risk to people in the event of fire. Visit the Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service website for more information.

Your documents will need to be uploaded during the electronic application process so please ensure that you have stored each document separately and in accordance with this guidance. See electronic document guidance for more information.

To apply for a licence

To apply for a first time licence, apply for a renewal of an existing licence, or to make a change to an existing licence, use the button below.

Apply for HMO licence

You can also submit a paper application although there is an additional non-refundable fee.

Important message about licence renewals
We have recently moved to a new platform called ‘Metastreet’ for licence applications. The historical data on our previous platform has not yet been migrated over, so when applying for a renewal, please use the ‘new application’ tab. Future renewals will be available on the’ renew’ tab.

Find out more about property licence fees

Contact us on the number below if you need further advice, including to check if you need this licence or to receive a paper application.

Landlord licence public register

Use the link for further information regarding fire risk assessment provided by Bedfordshire Fire Service supporting information is currently under review and will be uploaded shortly.