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Apply for a house of multiple occupation licence (HMO)

HMOs and planning permission

If your HMO is lived in by more than 5 people you may also need planning permission. Read more about planning advice. 

Your licence will be limited to one year if you do not have the right planning consent. After getting your HMO licence, you have 12 months to get planning permission. If you fail to do so, you'll need to lower the number of residents in your property.

Bedroom sizes

If planning permission is required, there may be a difference between the minimum bedroom sizes allowed by HMO licensing and the planning service.

  • the smallest bedroom size in a licensable HMO is 6.51m2
  • the smallest bedroom size in a HMO where planning permission is required is 7.5m2

Contact the planning service to see if minimum bedrooms sizes will apply to your HMO.