Licence conditions

Once the licence is issued it becomes an offence if the conditions are breached.

There are three ways that conditions are added to the licence;

1. The legislation includes a set of mandatory conditions which the council must attach to each licence issued.
2. Councils can adopt a set of conditions to attach to every licence to address specific issues within their areas.
3. Officers can attach conditions to individual licences if there are issues specific to the property.

Failure to meet licence conditions can result in a criminal conviction and an unlimited fine or be issued with a financial penalty of up to £30,000 for each condition breached.

Please note the conditions for each scheme is different and you will need to refer to the  standard conditions for the Selective and the Mandatory licensing schemes. However you must ensure you are aware of the conditions specific to your licence because there may be others attached by the officer.

The licence will specify the maximum number of people who may live in the HMO. It will also include the following conditions, which will apply to every licence:

• a valid current gas safety certificate, which is renewed annually, must be provided
• proof that all the electrical appliances and furniture are kept in a safe condition
• proof that the fire detection and smoke alarm system is installed and functioning correctly
• each occupier must have a written statement of the terms on which they occupy the property, i.e. a tenancy agreement
• overall management and conditions of the property.