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F A C T S H E E T

Licensing Procedure

The Housing Act introduces three forms of licensing:

• Mandatory licensing of HMOs for properties of 3 floors or more and 5 or more people;
• Additional licensing of other categories of HMOs at the discretion of the local authority if it determines there is a particular problem with that type of property. This may be used, for instance, in local authority areas with few properties of 3 or more storeys but with lower-level properties that are designated HMOs;
• Selective licensing of all privately-rented properties within designated areas. This is intended to be used particularly in areas of low demand and areas which have particular problems with anti-social behaviour.

The procedures outlined below apply across all three forms of licensing.