City landlords face costly and complex HMO licence renewal process

Private landlords in one city say they are grappling with an unnecessarily arduous system for renewing their House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) licences.

The group warns that, unlike other councils, Portsmouth City Council has failed to simplify the procedure, leaving landlords frustrated by lengthy forms, higher costs and a process that might flout legal guidelines.

According to the Portsmouth and District Private Landlords Association, the Licensing and Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation 2006, amended in 2012, stipulates that local authorities should only require basic details – such as the property address and key individuals – alongside a declaration of no significant changes for renewals.

It points to a 2017 High Court ruling reinforcing this, stating councils can ask for extra information, but it must be optional.

Guidance issued in 2019 further urged authorities to align their systems with this ruling.

Yet, the landlords say that Portsmouth’s approach demands they complete an exhaustive application, indistinguishable from a fresh submission, despite holding existing data.

System does not differentiate

The association’s blog on the issue says: “PCC’s new system does not differentiate between a new licence application and a renewal with an expectation to complete the form in its entirety.

“Whether this is due to lack of awareness or wilful ignorance of the above (or even inability of the new system to deal with it), it appears that Portsmouth City Council have not yet implemented their renewals process accordingly.

“It was not much of a problem before, as licence application forms were relatively short and painless to complete.

“However, this is no longer the case with a copious number of pages to fill and information to complete, using a somewhat clunky system on top.”

Applications take longer

The landlords say it takes around 90 minutes per case, which is much longer than the 20 minutes typical elsewhere.

For self-managing landlords, the task is even more daunting, often leading to mistakes.

One local agent confirms: “Not one of my landlords have filled it in correctly (including a portfolio investment landlord with multiple HMOs across multiple cities), even if already done one in prior years, and I’ve just had to step in for a new landlord who was about to be issued a one year licence in the next few days due to a simple misunderstanding when completing. I got there just in time, by accident, and he wouldn’t have resolved otherwise.”

Call for improvement

In a statement on the association’s website, they are urging the council:

• To review and streamline their mandatory renewal application process to comply with the 2012 regulations.
• Enhance communications to ensure landlords clearly understand the steps required for a simple renewal application
• Address inefficiencies to reduce the time and cost burden on landlords, delivering a fairer and more transparent service.
• And to review the support that can be provided.

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