Portsmouth HMO Public Register: How to Search Licensed Properties

Portsmouth City Council maintains a statutory public register of all licensed HMOs under Section 232 of the Housing Act 2004. It is the starting point for checking whether a specific property holds a valid licence — but it has real limitations that catch landlords, tenants, and solicitors off guard.

How to Search the Register

The council's HMO register is available online through the housing portal. You can also access a downloadable dataset that covers all licensed HMOs in the city, updated periodically.

Search fields include:

• Property address (full or partial)
• Postcode
• Licence reference number (if you have one)
• Licence holder name

Each record shows the property address, the licence holder's name and contact address, the managing agent (if one is appointed), the maximum permitted occupancy (persons and households), the licence start and expiry dates, and a summary of the conditions attached to the grant.

What the Register Does Not Show

This is where landlords and property buyers get tripped up. The statutory register records licences, temporary exemption notices (TENs) in force, and management orders. Portsmouth's online HMO licence search and downloadable HMO list focus on licensed properties; pending applications and draft decisions do not appear there.

The online licence search does not include:

• Pending applications — a property where the landlord has submitted a duly made application and paid the Part 1 fee. Under Section 72(4), that landlord has statutory protection against prosecution for unlicensed operation, but the property will not appear on the register until the licence is actually granted.
• Draft decisions — properties in the Notice of Intention stage (the council has proposed granting or refusing a licence and is waiting for the 14-day representation window to close).

This means a blank search result is not proof that a property is operating unlawfully. The landlord may have a duly made pending application, which can protect against the unlicensed-HMO offence, or a current TEN. If the online licence search does not show a TEN, request the full register or confirm the status with the council.

Why This Matters for Property Purchases

If you are buying a property that is currently let as a shared house, the public register is the obvious place to check licensing status. But a blank result could mean any of:

1. The property genuinely has no licence and no application — a compliance risk you are about to inherit
2. The seller submitted an application that has not yet been processed
3. A temporary exemption is in force but is not shown in the online licence search

To get a definitive answer, email the Private Sector Housing Licensing Team directly at [email protected] and request formal written confirmation of the property's licensing status. This can confirm pending applications and TENs that the online licence search may not show.

If you are taking over a licensed property, remember that HMO licences cannot be transferred. Under Section 68(6) of the Housing Act 2004, the licence terminates when ownership changes. You must submit a completely new application and pay both the Part 1 and Part 2 fees.

Using the Register as a Landlord

Beyond compliance checking, the register has practical uses:

Checking your own licence details. Verify that your maximum occupancy figure, licence dates, and named manager are correct. If anything is wrong, apply for a licence variation through the Metastreet portal before it causes problems during an inspection.

Monitoring neighbouring properties. If you operate in a street with multiple HMOs and a new shared house opens up, checking the register tells you whether it is licensed. Unlicensed properties in your area can attract enforcement action that brings increased scrutiny to the whole street.

Renewal planning. Your licence expiry date on the register is the date you are working against. Submit your renewal at least 14 days before that date to qualify for the 5-year tier and the lower renewal fee rate.

The Downloadable HMO Dataset

Alongside the searchable portal, Portsmouth publishes a downloadable master HMO dataset. This is useful for landlords with multiple properties or for agents managing a portfolio across the city. The dataset is updated periodically — it is not a live feed — so cross-check critical details against the live register.

The data includes all the same fields as the online search results, making it possible to filter by ward, licence type (mandatory vs additional), or expiry date if you are analysing licensing patterns across the city.

For a complete walkthrough of the licensing process — from checking whether your property needs a licence through to application, fees, and conditions — the Landlord Licensing in Portsmouth guide covers every step.

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