How soon after setting up an HMO do you have to apply for a licence?

[parker988]

How soon after setting up an HMO do you have to apply for a licence?

[jpkeates]

It depends on the local authority and the HMO.
Usually before you start letting.

[Neelix]

Where I live it’s a minimum of 8 weeks from the applicant providing all the information required .

as I understand it, you can’t let before it’s approved

[loanarranger]

Can I ask if there is a mortgage on the property , if yes have you established whether your lender will allow for this and furthermore advised the Insurance Company. of your intentions. I ask this as I do come across prospective clients who believe that they can do as they like once the conventional BtL mortgage has been completed , this is wrong as if there is a need for a Mandatory License , the Local Authority will notify your lender so always best to be ahead of the curve.

[Section20z]

That's an interesting point because where local authority's have changed the criteria to turn a normal BTL into an HMO it is impossible to ask prior consent of mortgagee or insurer.

[loanarranger]

I agree , however as per the first part of my response , there is nothing which prohibits making an enquiry as to whether the lenders criteria extends to HMO's , if the response is negative and it is intended that three or more persons ,of a non family unit will occupy then the decision is to either keep the property in its existing form of a family let or remortgage to a lender whose criteria accommodates HMO's.

[Berlingogirl]

It depends. I have a 5 bed HMO in which I was only letting 4 beds so I didn't have to license it. It was already inspected by the council. I decided to let it as 5 beds, told the council and applied for the licence. The council came round again and OK'd it. You have to be a responsible person to let a HMO.