Multiple occupancy home licences
Public consultation: property licensing schemes
The council's consultation on two new property licensing schemes being proposed in the borough closed on Thursday 31 January 2019.
Be active and don’t ignore this new law
From 1 October 2018, all houses in multiple occupation (HMO) with five or more tenants, forming more than one household, must have a council granted HMO licence, regardless of the height of the building.
Previous licensing only applied to HMOs of three or more storeys.
Failing to obtain a licence is a criminal offence that may result in prosecution, or being issued with a fixed penalty of up to £30,000.
If you are the landlord of a HMO that is yet to be licensed, please contact the housing regulation team, either by emailing privatesectorhousing@slough.gov.uk or by calling 01753 875431 to register and make an application.
More information about HMO licensing can be found on the gov.uk website.
Houses in multiple occupation
Your home is a house in multiple occupation (HMO) if both of the following apply:
- at least five tenants live there, forming more than one household
- you share toilet, bathroom or kitchen facilities with other tenants.
A household is either a single person or members of the same family who live together. A family includes people who are:
- married or living together - including people in same-sex relationships
- relatives or half-relatives, for example grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings
- step-parents and step-children.
Applying for a licence
Anyone who owns or manages a HMO that meets the above criteria must apply to the council for a licence. Instructions and advice on how to apply can be found in the attached application pack.
Licence fees
A HMO licensing fee is £950 (£650 for processing and £300 for enforcement).
Properties with more than seven bedrooms will incur a fee of £30 per additional room.
Exemptions
- Properties occupied by the owner (and their family, if any) and one lodger.
- Properties occupied by a recognised religious community.
- Properties whose occupiers have their main residence elsewhere*.
- Properties whose owner or manager is a public body / an educational institution such as a boarding school or university.
- Converted buildings of self-contained flats if two thirds or more of the flats are owner-occupied.
*Accommodation used by full-time students while they are studying is taken to be their main residence.
Contact Housing Regulation Team
Telephone: 01753 475111 (option 3)
Email: Privatesectorhousing@slough.gov.uk or
Write to: Housing Regulation Team, Landmark Place, High Street, Slough, SL1 1JL