What information must I give in HMO application?

This is most likely the Council trying to determine whether in terms of HMO licencing you’re a fit and proper person. If they can search their files on other properties you might own in the area they’ll be able to find out if you’ve had any formal action taken against you or been prosecuted for housing related offences. Similarly if you tell them of properties you own in other districts/boroughs the Council will probably ask those authorities for information.
I’m not 100% on whether you have to tell them about other properties but if they find out you gave them an incomplete application they probably don’t have to give you a licence.
Assuming you’ve not been prosecuted and have nothing to hide its not something you need to worry about. Questions like that are fairly typical in HMO licence applications.

Thanks for that James

I don’t have anything to hide, I just have an innate dislike of big brother! Anyway, very helpful answer 🙂

Dear Jamie

I quite agree with you. I think the amount of information required that people are required to give on even the smallest occasion is quite out of hand. Even purchasing items in shops these days increasingly seems to require handing over address, dob and email address. (Can you remember the time when no-one would DREAM of daring to ask your age/date of birth? And if they did they’d either be told not to be cheeky or “I’m as old as my little finger and a little bit older than my teeth”?)

Could you ask the council why they they want to know this and what relevance it has to your application? You will simultaneously put a shot across their bows whilst not appearing overly uncooperative. It never does any harm to push back a bit. Even if YOU have to supply the info, they may think twice before asking others for the same info in future.

Lucy

Reply to the comment left by “Lucy Fryer” at “17/02/2017 – 11:53“:

i wanted to put my name down for small plots of building land–new govt scheme. amount of info required by council–i refused to apply

ps might be worth original poster contacting ICO re what is acceptable info that council can insist upon–i will give nil unless i have to–trust noone–esp. govt in all its guises!

Reply to the comment left by “Lucy Fryer” at “17/02/2017 – 11:53“:

Thanks Lucy

Reply to the comment left by “terry sullivan” at “17/02/2017 – 12:32“:

Thanks Terry.

You are perfectly within your rights to ask how the council intend to use the information supplied. You are also within your rights to state where they cannot use information if you disagree. The T&C’s of the licence application should state (normally a generic statement) how they will use the information. The problem you have though is that any objection may delay the issue of the licence and your subsequent letting of the property.

Reply to the comment left by “Rob Crawford” at “18/02/2017 – 11:49“:

Get the licence then request information held be deleted/restricted…?

All good ideas – thanks 🙂

The information the Local Housing Authority MUST ask for is laid out in Schedule 2 of The Licensing and Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation and other Houses (Miscellaneous Provisions) (England) Regulations 2006.

To be specific to the question Jamie asks:

Schedule 2, 2 (e) details of other HMOs or houses that are licensed under Part 2 or 3 of the Act in respect of which the proposed licence holder is the licence holder, whether in the area of the local housing authority to which the application is made or in the area of any other local housing authority;

Note, it is only properties that he holds a licence for that need to be declared, not every property he owns.

The purpose of the requirement to disclose is so that a Local Housing Authority can check with other Local Housing Authorities whether the applicant is managing their other licensed premises correctly.