HMO licensing in Harlow Council

Whether a rented home in Harlow needs a licence depends on how many people share it.

• Mandatory HMO licensing covers homes rented to 5 or more people who form more than one household and share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet, anywhere in Harlow.^[26]
• Additional HMO licensing for smaller HMOs is not in force in Harlow.
• Selective licensing of homes let to a single household is not in force.

Separately, since 12 April 2021 a town-wide planning rule (an Article 4 direction) has meant that turning any home into an HMO, whatever its size, needs full planning permission. That is a planning control, not a licence. The council says you need that permission before you can apply for an HMO licence.^[19]

Subject to statutory exemptions, a large HMO shared by at least five people from more than one household needs a mandatory licence anywhere in England. The property licensing guide sets out the national tests that sit behind every local scheme.^[26]

Harlow Council publishes its register of mandatory HMO licences, and a separate register of temporary exemption notices, as spreadsheets on its website. Each one prints the date it was last updated, so a home licensed since then, or whose application is still being processed, may not appear yet.^[22]

1. Download the register spreadsheet from the council's register page. HMO public register (spreadsheet download) (opens in new tab)^[22]
2. Search the exact address. Save a dated screenshot or download of the result. Councils must keep a register of licences, temporary exemption notices and management orders and make it available for inspection.^[28]
3. Ask about applications and exemptions. A missing entry is a reason to investigate, not proof of an offence, so ask whether a licence, application or exemption covered the dates you rented there.^[31]
4. Report or ask in writing. Email environmental health. Send the address and your reasons to environmental health at env.health@harlow.gov.uk. The council says it will investigate and tell you the outcome.^[22] Ask for a reference number and keep the reply.

Harlow lists conditions every licensed HMO must meet, including the national minimum room sizes. Among other things:

• the landlord must have full planning permission for the HMO
• the home must meet the council's amenity standards for HMOs
• it must have a suitable fire safety system, judged against national fire safety guidance
• each sleeping area must be at least 6.51 square metres for one adult and 10.22 square metres for two, with smaller minimums for children, including Harlow's own 9.28 square metres for two children^[19]
• the manager must be a fit and proper person

The council inspects each property after an application, and may attach conditions that must be met within a set time. It says a licence it grants is valid for one year.^[19]

• National conditions are the floor. Every licence carries the prescribed conditions on gas, electrics, alarms, tenancy terms and waste, and can last up to five years; the property licensing guide lists them in full.^[29]
• Compare the licence with reality. The register entry or licence may identify the manager, the permitted occupancy and property-specific conditions. Check those details against how the home is actually occupied and managed.
• Keep separate evidence of hazards. A licence does not establish continuing compliance. Report disrepair or an immediate safety risk separately, and keep photographs, messages and certificates.

Harlow licenses large HMOs only, so start with who lived in the home: 5 or more people, from more than one household, on the dates you rented. If the address is missing from the register spreadsheet, check the date it was last updated: a recent licence may not be on it yet. Smaller HMOs and single-household lets need no licence here.^[20]

1. Confirm the scheme and dates. Match the address, occupancy and rental period to the designation in force at the time.
2. Ask the council in writing. Email environmental health. Ask Harlow Council whether an effective application or temporary exemption existed and when it took effect.^[22]
3. Check the legal position. An application, an exemption, a reasonable excuse or the identity of the person legally responsible (the "person managing or controlling" the property) can all affect whether an offence is proved.^[31]
4. Preserve the evidence. Keep the tenancy, rent payments, proof of occupation, dated searches and council correspondence.

For a licensing offence committed on or after the 1 May 2026 rule change, a tenant can ask the First-tier Tribunal for up to two years' rent, and normally has two years from the offence to apply. The tenant must prove the offence beyond reasonable doubt, and the tribunal decides any award from the statutory factors and evidence; recovery is never automatic.^[32] Older offence periods may be governed by earlier limits. Free housing advice is available from Shelter and Citizens Advice, and local law centres can help with tribunal cases.