Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs)
Contents
Renew, cancel or change an HMO licence
It is the responsibility of the landlord or licence holder to:
- renew a licence and inform the council of changes of ownership or management - you may also seek a variation to a licence
- renew a licence on time - failure to do so may result in prosecution or the imposition of a civil penalty
The council may also apply for a rent repayment order or support tenants to apply for an order.
As part of the renewal process, the council may undertake further inspections of the property. The existence of an HMO licence does not guarantee the renewal of the licence or renewal on identical terms.
There is a charge for a new licence.
Northampton
If the HMO is located in Northampton, please complete the online application form to make a licence renewal.
Daventry
If the HMO is located in Daventry, please contact the HMO Licensing Team at [email protected] for an application form.
South Northamptonshire
If the HMO is located in South Northamptonshire, please complete the online application form to make a licence renewal.
You can apply to us, free of charge, if you wish to change the following details of your issued licence.
This can include:
- increasing the maximum permitted persons
- increasing the maximum permitted households
- amending or removing specific conditions from Schedule 2
You should gain a variation to your licence before increasing the occupancy as failure to do so could put you in breach of your licence.
You will need to show that satisfactory amenities are present and that rooms are of suitable size and layout. Before completing this please view our Landlord’s Guides to amenities and facilities.
In addition to any variation you seek, you must notify us, within 21 days, of the following changes in circumstances:
- the licence holder's contact details
- the manager's contact details
- the existing manager is removed
- a new manager is appointed
- the ownership of the HMO changes
Licences are not transferable and if the licence holder or owners of the property have changed then a new licence application is required.
The Council may revoke a licence either by agreement or on the Council’s own initiative. There is no charge for revoking a licence.
Revocation on the Council’s initiative
The Council can revoke a licence for a number of reasons.
Including:
- the HMO is no longer a licensable HMO
- the Council consider that the licence holder, or any other person involved in the management of the property, has committed a serious breach of a condition of the licence or repeated breaches of such condition
- the Council considers that the licence holder or a manager is not a fit and proper person
- the authority consider that the HMO is not suitable for the number of households or persons specified in the licence
Before revoking a licence, the Council will serve a Notice of Intention to Revoke the licence, providing reasons of the intent. You will have an opportunity to make any representations, which we will consider.
Revocation by agreement
If an HMO is no longer licensable or the ownership has changed, the licence holder may request that the council revokes the licence.
A revocation made with the agreement of the licence holder takes effect at the time when it is made. The Council can revoke or refuse to revoke the licence, and the licence holder will be informed about the Council’s decision in writing.
Death of licence holder
If the licence holder dies while the licence is in force, the licence ceases. For 3 months from the death the building will be treated as having been granted a temporary exemption notice (TEN).
The licence holder’s personal representatives should inform us as quickly as possible.
Last updated 19 September 2025