One evening of Barnet Council HMO checks led to 22 investigations over missing licences. £187,000 in HMO fines so far this year; visits go on for 12 months.

Twenty-two Barnet properties are under legal investigation after a single evening of council checks on shared rented homes. Officers visited 76 properties that night.

The investigations are for suspected failure to hold a licence for a house in multiple occupation (HMO). Barnet Council announced the operations on 30 September. It says evening visits will continue across the borough for the next 12 months.

What officers found

The council’s Housing Regulatory Services team ran the visits after normal working hours. According to the council, the first evening produced:

  • 76 properties visited
  • 22 now subject to legal investigation for a suspected missing HMO licence
  • families found living in poor and overcrowded accommodation
  • visits to homes suspected of being long-term empty and causing problems for neighbours

The council did not say which streets or wards were visited, or name any landlord.

So far this year Barnet has issued £187,000 in fines for offences connected with the licensing and management of HMOs, the council says.

Cllr Ross Houston, the deputy leader and cabinet member for homes and regeneration, said most landlords “take their responsibilities seriously”. He added: “Our message to landlords is simple: understand your responsibilities, make sure your property is safe and, where a licence is required, get one.”

Which homes need a licence in Barnet

An HMO is a house or flat shared by people who are not related. Bedsits, shared houses, lodgings and hostels can all count. The council’s HMO guidance says Barnet has two licensing schemes:

Scheme Who it covers
Mandatory licensing, set by the government Homes with 5 or more people in 2 or more households who share a kitchen, bathroom or WC
Barnet’s additional licensing, borough-wide Smaller HMOs: 3 or more people in 2 or more households

Additional licensing also covers some older converted blocks of flats. That applies where the building is three or more storeys, has at least three flats, all privately rented and under the same owner, and the conversion does not meet the Building Regulations 1991 or later.

The penalties

The council’s announcement puts the maximum penalty for failing to license at £40,000 per offence. Its HMO guidance page still gives a civil penalty of up to £30,000 or an unlimited fine on conviction.

That guidance page also says tenants may be able to claim back up to 12 months’ rent from a landlord who should have held a licence but did not.

What it means for you

  • If you rent a room in a shared house, you can check whether it is licensed. The council publishes a public HMO register of licensed properties, as the law requires.
  • If you are a landlord, the council’s apply for an HMO licence page lists what you need: gas safety, electrical, fire alarm and emergency lighting certificates, an energy performance certificate, a floor plan and evidence of planning permission. Applications are online only. Incomplete applications are likely to be rejected, leaving the property unlicensed.
  • Planning matters too. Barnet has an Article 4 Direction on small HMOs, so turning a family house into one now needs planning permission. Our guide to Barnet planning applications explains how to look up what has been applied for on your street.
  • The council’s HMO team is on hmos@barnet.gov.uk or 020 8359 5355.