Licensing records
Follow council HMO licensing sources with a clear record of when their links were last checked.
HMO DECODED · UK COUNCIL DATA
HMO information for your area.
Enter a UK postcode or choose a council to view published HMO totals and official licensing sources. Figures describe council areas, not individual homes.
—councils with published HMO totals
—official sources registered
—source URLs responding
Coverage is expanding. A missing council record does not establish an unlicensed property.
01 / EXPLOREFind your
Find your
local picture.
Enter a postcode to locate its council, or search by council name. Figures are official 2024–25 area totals.
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HMO DECODED ● OFFICIAL HMO TOTALS
Choose your area.Select a coloured council area for official HMO estimates and licensing counts.
02 / THE METHODNo rumours.
No rumours.
Just sources.
We keep licensing, planning decisions and community feedback separate. Each information source is checked and dated.
Planning information
Find official planning searches and understand the difference between permission and occupation.
Ongoing checks
Scheduled source monitoring catches broken links and document changes. Data still needs verification.
03 / COMMUNITY INPUTSomething
Something
we should check?
Send us a licensing, planning or standards question. Reports stay confidential and are never automatically pinned to the map.
04 / GUIDES & SOURCESUnderstand the
Understand the
HMO evidence.
Find out what the records mean and follow the original official sources.
What is an HMO?
Shared housing and large HMO definitions in England.
HMO licensing explained
Mandatory, additional and selective licensing are not interchangeable.
Planning vs licensing
Applications and adverts are not evidence of current occupation.
Our evidence method
Source dates, verification and why we do not publish resident profiles.
Licensing and planning records do not identify who lives in a property. Planning approval does not confirm that an HMO is operating. This independent directory is not affiliated with a council or government department.
Understand HMOs at GOV.UK ↗