Houses in multiple occupation (HMOs)

Houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) can offer good quality affordable accommodation to people who cannot afford to buy their own homes and are not eligible for council housing.

HMOs that require a licence

All houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) now need to be licensed. This includes:

properties which fall under the 'Mandatory' HMO definition (five people or more not living together as a single household are sharing facilities)
properties which fall under the 'Additional' HMO definition (three people or more not living together as a single household are sharing facilities)
Housing Act 2004 Section 257 HMO properties

For more information on Exemptions, Single Households, Additional HMO licensing and Section 257 HMO properties, please see:

Additional HMO Licensing

The current additional licensing scheme will expire on 8 December 2026

To allow existing applications to be processed before the scheme ends, we are no longer accepting new additional licence application.

If you submitted an application before the closure date, we will continue to assess and process it in accordance with the relevant legal requirements. Any licence granted before the additional licensing scheme expires remains valid until the expiry date stated on the licence.

Enquiries should be directed to: HMOLicensing@lambeth.gov.uk