HMO licensing in Portsmouth City Council

Which licence a rented home in Portsmouth needs depends on how many people share it, not on where in the city it is. Both HMO schemes cover the whole city.

• Mandatory HMO licensing covers HMOs where 5 or more people live as two or more households.^[29]
• Additional HMO licensing covers HMOs of 3 or 4 people from two or more households. It also covers flats shared by 3 or more people in purpose-built blocks of 3 or more flats, and buildings converted into flats without meeting the 1991 Building Regulations where at least two-thirds of the flats are rented out (known as section 257 HMOs). It runs from 1 September 2023 to 31 August 2028.^[18]
• Selective licensing — Portsmouth runs no selective scheme, so a home let to a single household needs no property licence.^[18]

Whatever Portsmouth designates locally, 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.^[29]

Portsmouth's public register is an online search by postcode. It lists licensed HMOs, together with any temporary exemption notices and management orders. The council also publishes a downloadable HMO list, last updated in September 2026. Neither the list nor the register shows homes whose licence application is still being processed. A missing entry is a reason to ask the council in writing, not proof of an offence.^[23]

1. Open the public register, which searches by postcode. HMO public 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.^[30]
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.^[33]
4. Report or ask in writing. hmo.licensing@portsmouthcc.gov.uk. Use the council's online form to report a suspected unlicensed HMO, call the HMO licensing team on 023 9284 1659, or email hmo.licensing@portsmouthcc.gov.uk.^[27] Ask for a reference number and keep the reply.

Portsmouth attaches its own conditions to every additional and mandatory HMO licence, and its HMO standards set rules on kitchens, bathrooms, heating and fire safety. The conditions include:

• minimum bedroom sizes and a maximum number of people per room
• smoke and carbon monoxide alarms
• an electrical safety report at least every 5 years
• an annual fire risk assessment
• a landlord inspection at least every 6 months
• an energy performance rating of E or above for the property^[25]

• 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.^[31]
• 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.

The citywide additional scheme can only apply to periods from 1 September 2023, when it came into force; mandatory HMO licensing applies throughout. For a tenancy that began before then, ask the HMO licensing team in writing which scheme covered your address and dates.^[22]

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. hmo.licensing@portsmouthcc.gov.uk. Ask Portsmouth City Council whether an effective application or temporary exemption existed and when it took effect.^[27]
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.^[33]
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.^[34] 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.