Houses in Multiple Occupation - Application Guidance

1.1 Things you will need in order to complete the application

In order to complete the online application, you will need all essential documents in an electronic format (such as PDF, Word or excel) including: -

• Property Management Procedure Form (downloadable from our website) poses a number of questions that can be used together with the content of the form to shape your management procedures and policies. This is in addition to the questions asked in the application form as there is a 255 Character limit.
  
  As such you may want to indicate on the form that your management and antisocial behaviour processes / procedures have been uploaded to the application, in this text area and refer to them in the limited free text box.
  
  The anti-social behaviour procedure form will need to be submitted with your application.



• Example Tenancy agreement
• A valid Gas Safety certificate (if the property has a gas supply)
• A satisfactory Electrical Installation Condition Report, which is less than 5 years old
• Fire Alarm Testing Certificate (less than 12 months old)
• Emergency Lighting Testing Certificate (less than 12 months old, if applicable)
• Portable Appliance Testing certificate (if applicable)
• Property floor plans (these do not need to be to scale, but must include the size of the room in meters squared, what the room is, the location of any fire doors (FD), or smoke / heat detectors (SD / HD)
• Fit and Proper Persons Form filled out and signed by relevant parties

1.2 Registering for an account to facilitate ‘Save and Exit’

The form has a ‘Save and Exit’ facility which allows you to save information you have already added and come back to it at a later date. In order for this to work you must register an account with Idox who provide the application software. To register for an account click the “Log in to Save” button at the top of the page. You will then be asked either to log in or register for an account. Click to register an account and enter the information requested. You will then receive an email with a verification link which you need to click to complete registration.

Once you have set up your account and verified it via your email address you should be logged in on the application portal. You can tell that you are logged in when the ‘Log in to save” is replaced with “saved as draft”. If your page is still displaying ‘Log in to save’ at the top then click it and enter your log in details.

1.3 Using the ‘Save and Exit’ function

At any point during the application where the ‘save and exit’ button is displayed you can click the button to save all progress and exit the application. All data you have entered will then be saved so that you can continue the application at a later date.
Access your saved applications

If you are applying for multiple properties an application needs to be made for each property. This process can be expedited by setting your web browser to auto populate fields within the form. Once you have entered the information on the form once, when you come to apply for your second property the information previously typed will automatically populate.

2.1 For Google Chrome this setting is turned on as default however if you need to enable it again do the following:

• Click on the Chrome menu icon (Three lines at top right of screen)
• Click on Settings
• At the bottom of the page click “Show advanced Settings”
• In the ‘Passwords and forms’ section ensure that ‘Enable Autofill to fill out forms in a single click’ in enabled.

2.2 For Windows Explorer you may need to do the following:

• Click on the Tools menu at the top of the browser window
• Click on Internet Options
• Select the Contents tab
• In the AutoComplete section click on Settings
• Ensure that ‘Forms’ is ticked

Certain fields such as the question which asks whether the applicant has any other licensable properties is an open text box which allows up to 500 characters. To speed up the process when making multiple applications it is recommended that you record this information in a separate word document and either copy and paste it into the text box for each application or add the word document as an attachment on the file upload page.

Start a new application for a HMO Licence

3.1 Address Search

The first page you will be met with asks for the address of the property you are making the application for. The address field is confined to addresses within the Sunderland City Council area. Search for your address using either the first line of the address or postcode and click search. Select the property from the list and click next.

If the property you want to licence does not come up in the list, it might be that it falls within a neighbouring Authority area and you would need to contact that Local Authority.

Note: Please be mindful that your session may timeout if you leave the application form open and inactive for a long period of time. It is recommended that you save the application periodically as you progress through.

3.2 Type of Application

Here you need to indicate whether you are applying for a Mandatory Licence or a Renewal Licence.

Mandatory Licensing applies to shared houses with 5 or more individuals living as two or more separate households.

Note: this isn’t determined on the number of bedrooms; it is purely based on number of occupiers. If a three-bed house has a couple living in each of the bedrooms it would need licensing under the Mandatory Scheme.

3.3 Applicant Details (Details of Person filling out this Form)

In this section the applicant (person filling out the form) needs to provide their details. Select the options which most accurately reflect your status as the applicant.

3.4 If the applicant is not the Proposed Licence Holder

If you are making the application on behalf of someone else i.e. you are a Managing Agent completing the form on behalf of the landlord and it is the landlord who is to be the Licence Holder select the top option.

3.4 If the applicant is the Proposed Licence Holder and will manage the property.

If you are making the application and you wish to be the Licence Holder and you carry out all management related activities select: ‘I am the Proposed Licence Holder – The Sole Applicant, who collects the rent and has sole responsibility for managing the property’

3.5 If the applicant is the Proposed Licence Holder but there are other people involved in the management of the property.

If you are making the application and you wish to be the Licence Holder but there is someone else who manages the property, collects the rent to then be passed on to you etc. then select the bottom option: ‘I am the Proposed Licence Holder – There are other people involved in the management of the property’.

The next screen you encounter will depend on what option you have selected above.

If you have indicated that you are ‘Completing the form on behalf of the Proposed Licence Holder(s)’ you will progress onto a page asking for your details as the Applicant.

Note: It is not foreseen that the second option – ‘This is a Joint Application, I am one of the applicants’ will be needed as the above three scenarios cover the majority of circumstances.

The next screen you encounter will depend on what option you have selected above.

• If you have indicated that you are ‘Completing the form on behalf of the Proposed Licence Holder(s)’ you will progress onto a page asking for your details as the Applicant. Section 3.3 of this guide. - If you have indicated that you are the ‘Proposed Licence Holder


• The Sole Applicant, who collects the rent and has sole responsibility for managing the property’ you will progress onto a page asking for the details of the Proposed Licence holder. Section 3.6 of this guide.


• If you have indicated that you are the ‘Proposed Licence Holder – There are other people involved in the management of the property’ you will progress into the section of the form requiring details of the Proposed Licence Holder and Property Manager. Section 3.6 of this guide.

3.5 Details of Person filling out this Form

You will be directed to this page if the person applying for the licence is different to the Proposed Licence Holder. We need the applicant’s details so that we can send the licence documentation to them.

Select the option which most accurately applies. You will then progress onto a page requiring you to provide your details as the applicant.

Note: If you select the option “Individual” there will be a box on the next page asking for a ‘Trading Name’. This is not a mandatory field so if this does not apply to you please leave this field blank. When entering date of birth information you can type the date manually in the following format Day/Month/Year **/**/**** or alternatively use the calendar drop down and select the date using the mouse.

3.6 Details of person(s) to be named on the licence (Proposed Licence Holder)

The format of data entry here is the same as in Section 3.3 above. The reason you have bypassed the state as detailed in Section 3.3 is because you have declared you are to be the Proposed Licence holder and the applicant. Enter the information of the person who will be the Licence Holder. The Licence Holder must be the person having control, have the means both in terms of finances and permission to carry out repairs and the one who collects the rack rent. The rent doesn’t necessarily need to go direct to the Proposed Licence holder from the tenants; it can go via an Agent.

Sunderland City Council is only accepting applications with one Licence Holder which can be an individual or company. The only exception is in cases where the property has a joint ownership registered with the Land Registry. If the property is owned by more than one person/company each is able to go down as a Licence Holder which can be done by using the tick box at the bottom of the ‘Proposed Licence Holder Details’ page. By clicking this box details of additional Licence Holders can be added to the application. Applications with secondary licence holders where both are not listed on the Land Registry search will not be considered as valid.

Note: If you select the option “Individual” there will be a box on the next page asking for a ‘Trading Name’. This is not a mandatory field so if this does not apply to you please leave this field blank. When entering date of birth information you can type the date manually in the following format Day/Month/Year **/**/**** or alternatively use the calendar drop down and select the date using the mouse.

If you answer ‘Yes’ include details in the box provided. The box allows 255 characters, if you need additional space provide the information on an additional sheet and attach it to your application using the file uploader later on in the application.

Handy Tip: If you are applying for numerous licenses write out this information into a separate word document then copy and paste into the text box when completing each application.

If you selected ‘Proposed Licence Holder – The Sole Applicant, who collects the rent and has sole responsibility for managing the property’ at the start of the application process you will now be directed to the Fit and Proper Persons section of the application. Here you will be asked a series of questions relating to past offences.

Each question is mandatory and must be answered with either ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ using the check boxes. If the answer is ‘Yes’ to any of the questions further details will be required using the boxes provided. It is not necessary to disclose convictions which are spent under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

Note: You will only be directed to the Fit and Proper Persons part of the form if you selected ‘Proposed Licence Holder – The Sole Applicant, who collects the rent and has sole responsibility for managing the property’ from the initial set of options. If you selected a different option you will be required to complete the fit and proper assessment using the Fit and Proper Persons Form. (See Section 13 of this guide for further information.)

As mentioned previously the person receiving the rent should be the Proposed Licence holder. This can be via someone else like an Agent. However if the rent is received by another person/party we need to know.

If there is a Property Manager or Agent who manages the property you need to provide the details. Select the most appropriate option and fill in the details. If the Property Manager is either the Applicant and/or the Proposed Licence holder you will not need to enter the details again.

The application form lists a number of Accreditation schemes. Please select ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ and you will be taken onto the next screen where you need to enter your membership number.

There is also a free entry text box at the bottom of the page if you are accredited and your accreditation body is not listed. Please provide as much information as possible including membership number etc. within this text box. On the next page where you are required to select which membership body you are accredited with select the top option to continue onto the next stage of the application.

We need to be aware of all parties having an interest in the property. The form asks for the name and address of the owner of the property. If there is more than one owner then use the tick box at the bottom of the page to add additional entries.

After entering the ownership details, the form will ask about the Freeholder and Leaseholder information. Ownership of property is generally split into freehold and leasehold. When a property is purchased it will be clear whether the purchase is for the freehold and/or the leasehold. Not all properties have a leasehold.

If you are unsure consult Land Registry, your mortgage provider or documentation from when you purchased the property. If the freehold or leasehold is different to the ownership details entered previously you will be required to provide further information on the freeholders/leaseholders.

If there is a mortgage provider then that would make them a party who have an interest in the property. Select whether you have a mortgage or not using the ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ check boxes. If you select ‘Yes’ you will be required to enter the details of the mortgage provider.

If there is more than one mortgage on the property use the tick box at the bottom of the ‘Mortgage Details (1)’ page to add additional information.

Please read further information on Legal Charges.

It is not unusual for properties to have more than one legal charge. Provide as much detail as you can in relation to any charges on the property.

As part of the licensing process the Authority is legally bound to determine whether the proposed licence holder and the proposed manager are ‘fit and proper’.

The fit and proper declaration page is essentially a double check and confirmation that all required fit and proper information has been submitted with the application. A declaration is needed for each person/company who is/are the Proposed Licence Holder and/or involved in the management of the property.

The online application form will only allow for the fit and proper questions to be answered online for the Proposed Licence Holder if the applicant for the licence is also the Proposed Licence Holder and Manager (with no other involvement from anyone else). If your application is of this nature, you have filled in the fit and proper questions on the online form and no one else is involved in the management of the property then all you need to do on this section is enter your information and make the declaration that you have provided all information required and that it is accurate to the best of your knowledge.

For all scenarios where the applicant isn’t both the Proposed Licence Holder and Manager (with no other involvement from anyone else) you will need to download the Fit and Proper Persons Form from our website. This document needs to be completed by the Proposed Licence Holder and Manager (if applicable), signed by all persons and then attached to your application via the file upload page.

The Fit and Proper Persons Form can be completed and signed electronically or printed off, filled in by hand and scanned back in. A declaration needs to be made on the online form for each person who has then completed the fit and proper information. To add additional people use the tick box at the bottom of the form.

This part of the application aims at gathering further information on management arrangements for the property. As part of the licensing process the authority is required to assess whether the management arrangements are satisfactory. The questions in this section are fairly self-explanatory. Depending on how these questions are answered further information may be required as you progress.

Due to the 255 character limit in the free text boxes in relation to the management of the property the additional property management and procedures form must be downloaded from our website the form can be completed electronically or printed off, filled in by hand and scanned back in. You must be able to demonstrate what your policies and procedures are for each statement within the document, if sufficient detail is not provided this may result in the authority deeming your application to be unduly made.

The property management and procedures including managing anti-social behaviour form will need to be submitted with your application.

We are legally required to ask certain questions about the property on the application form.

One question asks whether the property has a gas supply. Even if you enter ‘No’ to this question you will progress onto a page asking you if you have completed a Gas Safety Certificate in the last 12 months and then further onto a page asking for the date of the certificate.

Unfortunately, this is an issue with the form that we have been unable to resolve with the developer. If the property does not have a gas supply, select ‘No’ to the question about the Gas Safety Certificate and then when you are asked for the date of the certificate simply click ‘Next’ without entering a date. The same applies to the Electrical Safety Certificate questions.

This is how you upload your supporting information to your application form. There is a list on this page of what documents are essential (these must be submitted with your application either via this upload facility or via post within 5 working days from the date you submit your application for your application to be considered valid).

The desirable documents would be helpful for us when processing your application and would help to demonstrate high levels of management however not submitting these will not affect your application. To upload documents, click on the ‘browse’ button and select the document from the location you have it stored on your computer. Once you have selected the file click ‘open’. Repeat this process until all documents you wish to attach have been uploaded.

This page is a final checklist for the applicant to ensure that no supporting documentation has been omitted. Once on this page if you realise you have forgotten to attach any of the required documents you can return to the file upload page by using the ‘previous’ button.

If you do not have a document in the list i.e. you do not have a Gas Safety Certificate because the property doesn’t have a gas supply, select N/A.

There is a duty on the applicant to inform certain persons in writing that the application has been made to the local authority. This can be done by writing to each party or by providing copies of your licence application in full. The persons who need to be notified are as follows:

• Any mortgage of the property to be licensed
• Any person who has had a registered charge on the property
• Any owner of the property to which the application relates (if that is not you) i.e. the freeholder and any head lessors who are known to you
• Any other person who is a tenant or long leaseholder of the property or any part of it (including any flat) who is known to you other than a statutory tenant or other tenant whose lease or tenancy is for less than three years (including a periodic tenancy)
• The proposed licence holder (if that is not you)
• The proposed managing agent (if any) (if that is not you)
• Any person who has agreed that he will be bound by any conditions in a licence if it is granted.

You will be navigated to a page entitled Person and Address Declaration (1). Here the details of all people who have been notified/are to be notified need to be entered. This includes a description of the person’s interest in the property. Additional entries can be made using the tick box at the bottom of the page.

The box entitled ‘Date of Service’ is the date on which the person was notified. This can be a future date as it is accepted that notification may happen after the date of application. Once all notified persons’ details have been entered the person filling out the form will then be required to make a declaration that all have been duly notified on the form shown below.

At the top of this page the applicant will be asked whether they are willing to receive licence documentation via email. If you select ‘yes’, the email addresses previously entered in the application will be used to deliver documentation. If you select ‘No’ documents will be posted out.

A final declaration is needed using tick boxes, finished with the name and capacity of the person making the declaration.

It is very important that the information entered on this page is correct to ensure that you receive the email confirmation of your application being submitted and the application reference number. Ensure that you keep your email confirmation safe as it is your proof of submission and you will need the reference number when paying the second part of the fee prior to your licence documents being sent out.

At this stage of the application you will be given a fee summary. This is Part 1 of the licensing fee which must be paid to submit your application. Part 2 will be payable once your application has been processed and the draft documents are ready to be sent out. The fee cannot be changed.

The fees are set by Sunderland City Council and are reviewed each year and relate to the cost of processing the initial HMO application form, inspecting the property and then the ongoing cost of running and administering the HMO licensing scheme.

In Sunderland the total licence fee payable for a property with 5 Occupants is £710 (Part 1) + £294 (Part 2) = £1,004. Properties with more than 5 Occupants pay an additional payment per occupant set out in the banding table below.

The total cost of an application with 7 occupants for example would be:
£1,004 + £44.50 = £1,045.50

The total cost of an application with 21 occupants for example would be:
£1,004 + £174 = £1,178

Number of Applicants	Additional Cost
5	£0
6-9	£44.50
10-12	£87
13-18	£130.50
19-24	£174
25-30	£217.50
31-36	£261
37+	Fee to be determined by enquiry

Where an application is a renewal of an expiring licence which has been received prior to the current licence expiring, the total fee is £544 (Part 1 fee) + £294 (Part 2 fee) = £838. However if an application is received after a previous licence has expired, this will be treated as a new application and the higher fees will apply.

Please note that should any application be deemed as incomplete following submission, the applicant will be sent communication explaining why the application is incomplete and what information or documentation is required to complete the process. If a further request must be made for the missing information an additional fee of £120 will be charged to the part 2 fee for the cost of the licence.

The final page before being redirected to Sunderland City Council’s payment system is an application review page. Here you are provided with your unique reference number and a link to your application in PDF format for your records (accessed by clicking ‘Preview’). It is recommended that you save a copy of the PDF for your records.

When you select ‘Submit and pay’ on the application review page you will be redirected to the Sunderland City Council Payment screen. Once you have completed the payment you will be provided with a payment reference. Please take a note of this reference and keep it in a safe place.

The confirmation email will follow soon after and will also contain a PDF version of your application for your records.