HMO Public Register in England: How to Check If a Property Is Licensed

Every council in England that issues HMO licences must maintain a public register of licensed properties under Section 232 of the Housing Act 2004. The register is your starting point for checking whether a specific property holds a valid licence — useful whether you are a landlord verifying your own status, a tenant checking your home, or a buyer assessing a potential purchase.

How to Search the Register

There is no national, centralised HMO register in England. Each council maintains its own, and the format varies widely — some councils offer searchable online databases, others publish downloadable spreadsheets, and a few still require you to contact the licensing team directly.

To search:

1. Identify the local council — use the GOV.UK "find your local council" lookup with the property postcode. Be precise: postcodes near council boundaries can fall under a different authority than you expect.
2. Find the council's licensing register page — search the council website for "HMO register," "property licensing register," or "public register of licensed properties."
3. Search by address or postcode — most online registers let you search by street address or postcode. Some also allow search by licence holder name.

If the council does not have an online searchable register, contact the licensing team and ask how to inspect the public register.

What the Register Shows

The register typically includes:

• Property address — the licensed HMO's full address
• Licence holder name — the individual or company that holds the licence
• Licence type — mandatory HMO, additional HMO, or selective
• Licence number and reference
• Grant date and expiry date — licences run for up to five years
• Maximum permitted occupancy — the number of people allowed to live in the property under the licence conditions

Some councils also publish the licence conditions, the property manager's details, and the status of any enforcement action. Others limit the public register to the minimum statutory requirements.

What the Register Does Not Tell You

A property appearing on the register with a valid licence does not mean it is fully compliant. It means the council granted a licence — the property may still have outstanding improvement notices, breached conditions, or safety issues that have not yet been addressed.

Conversely, a property not appearing on the register does not necessarily mean it is unlicensed illegally. It might fall below the licensing threshold (fewer than five people from two or more households, and no active additional or selective scheme covers it), or the licence application might be in progress — once an application is "duly made," the landlord is protected from prosecution for operating an unlicensed HMO while the council processes it, but does not yet hold a granted licence.

Checking Whether Your Own Property Needs a Licence

If you are trying to work out whether your property is an HMO that needs licensing, the register is not the right tool. The register shows what is already licensed, not what should be.

To determine whether you need a licence:

1. Count the occupants and households — five or more people from two or more separate households sharing basic amenities, or where one or more basic amenities are lacking, can require a mandatory HMO licence
2. Check for additional licensing — if below the mandatory threshold, does your council run an additional scheme covering your property type and ward?
3. Check for selective licensing — even single-family lets need a licence in designated selective licensing areas

The five-person, two-household test is the core assessment for mandatory licensing. The comparison of mandatory, additional, and selective schemes explains the full hierarchy.

Registers for Specific Councils

Some of the larger council registers:

• Birmingham — the council publishes a downloadable register covering mandatory, additional, and selective licences
• Nottingham — online searchable register through the council's licensing portal
• Manchester — downloadable dataset of licensed properties
• London Borough of Newham — covering mandatory and additional licences across the borough and selective licences in designated wards
• Leeds — searchable register alongside the new selective licensing scheme

For council-specific details on fees, application processes, and requirements, see our posts on Birmingham and Nottingham HMO licensing.

For Tenants

If you are renting a room in a shared house and want to check whether your landlord holds a valid licence, the public register is the quickest route. If the property does not appear and you believe it should be licensed (five or more people, two or more households, sharing or lacking basic facilities), you can report it to the council's housing team. Operating an unlicensed HMO is a criminal offence, and tenants in unlicensed HMOs may be entitled to apply for a rent repayment order.

Our HMO Licensing Guide for England explains the full licensing framework, from working out whether a property needs a licence through to the application process and ongoing compliance.

See more England guides →