Unlicensed HMOs
Received: 23 February 2026
I'm writing under the Freedom of Information Act to request information about unlicensed Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) identified by your authority. I'm researching how enforcement activity has changed over time, so I'm looking for a clear year by year picture rather than an overall total.Could you please provide the number of unlicensed HMOs your authority has identified for each individual year from 2019 up to the most recent full year you hold data for? If the figures are recorded by financial year instead of calendar year, that's absolutely fine - whichever is held, as long as the breakdown is year by year.It would also be helpful if you could share, again on a year by year basis, how many civil penalty notices, prosecutions, or enforcement notices were issued in relation to unlicensed HMOs in the same period. I understand that not every authority uses the same enforcement routes, so please just include whichever types of action you record.A brief explanation of how your authority defines an 'unlicensed HMO' - and whether this includes properties identified through inspections, complaints, landlord disclosures or other methods ' would also be really valuable context for interpreting the figures.If possible, please provide the information in a machine readable format such as Excel or CSV.And if any part of this request is likely to exceed the cost limit, please let me know - I'm happy to adjust the scope to help ensure the year by year data can be provided.Thank you for your time. Please let me know if you need anything clarified.