HMO licensing in Hillingdon Council

Which licence a shared rented home in Hillingdon needs depends on how many people live there.

• Mandatory HMO licensing covers HMOs where 5 or more people live as two or more households.^[27]
• Additional HMO licensing covers HMOs of 3 or more people from two or more households that do not need a mandatory licence, anywhere in the borough. It runs from 24 August 2026 to 23 August 2031.^[17]
• Selective licensing is not among the schemes the council's licensing pages describe, so they set out no licence for a home let to a single household.^[17]

The council opened applications for the additional scheme on 20 May 2026, and says landlords who had not applied by 23 August 2026 may face enforcement action.^[17]

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.^[27]

Hillingdon publishes its HMO register as a downloadable document. For each licensed HMO it lists the address, ward, licence holder, manager, licence dates and the maximum number of occupiers. The additional scheme is new, so an application still being processed may not appear yet.^[23]

1. Download the council's HMO register. HMO register (opens in new tab)^[23]
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.^[29]
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.^[32]
4. Report or ask in writing. hmolicensing@hillingdon.gov.uk. To report a suspected unlicensed HMO, email Private Sector Housing at privatesectorhousing@hillingdon.gov.uk, the team named for the additional scheme. Email hmolicensing@hillingdon.gov.uk about unsafe or overcrowded HMOs.^[26] Ask for a reference number and keep the reply.

Hillingdon publishes minimum standards for HMOs, which say a property should meet the Decent Homes Standard and be free from serious hazards. The council says that if you live in an HMO, your landlord must make sure that:

• proper fire safety measures are in place, including working smoke alarms
• gas safety checks are carried out every year, and the electrics are checked every five years
• the home is not overcrowded
• there are enough kitchen and bathroom facilities for the number of people living there
• shared areas and facilities are clean and in good repair, with enough bins^[24]

• 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.^[30]
• 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.

One date matters most: smaller HMOs have needed a licence only since 24 August 2026, when the additional scheme came into force. Most larger HMOs have needed a mandatory licence for years. The register is a dated download, so keep a copy of the version you checked.^[17]

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. hmolicensing@hillingdon.gov.uk. Ask Hillingdon Council whether an effective application or temporary exemption existed and when it took effect.^[26]
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.^[32]
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.^[33] 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.