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Unlicensed HMO Discovery

Empowering local authorities to identify unlicensed HMOs

PriceHubble’s Unlicensed HMO Discovery Solution equips local authorities with the tools to accurately identify and target potential unlicensed Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) for priority investigation.

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Accurately pinpoint unlicensed HMOs for effective enforcement

With a significant number of HMOs operating without a licence, local authorities face challenges in enforcement due to resource constraints, high case volumes, and limited information. Our solution addresses this by providing a highly predictive list of potential unlicensed HMOs, enabling efficient allocation of investigative efforts.

Comprehensive analysis

Utilises proprietary data and partner inputs to assess private rental properties for unlicensed HMOs.

Comprehensive analysis

Utilises proprietary data and partner inputs to assess private rental properties for unlicensed HMOs.

Prioritised candidate list

Ranks properties based on the likelihood of being an unlicensed HMO, focusing enforcement efforts where they will have the most impact.

Prioritised candidate list

Ranks properties based on the likelihood of being an unlicensed HMO, focusing enforcement efforts where they will have the most impact.

Enhanced revenue recovery

Identifies unlicensed HMOs to enable fines, rent repayment orders (RROs), and enforcement action, ensuring compliance and recovering lost rental income.

Enhanced revenue recovery

Identifies unlicensed HMOs to enable fines, rent repayment orders (RROs), and enforcement action, ensuring compliance and recovering lost rental income.

Seamless data integration

Provides insights in compatible formats for easy cross-referencing with HMO licensing records and local council systems.

Seamless data integration

Provides insights in compatible formats for easy cross-referencing with HMO licensing records and local council systems.

Comprehensive analysis

Utilises proprietary data and partner inputs to assess private rental properties for unlicensed HMOs.

Prioritised candidate list

Ranks properties based on the likelihood of being an unlicensed HMO, focusing enforcement efforts where they will have the most impact.

Enhanced revenue recovery

Identifies unlicensed HMOs to enable fines, rent repayment orders (RROs), and enforcement action, ensuring compliance and recovering lost rental income.

Seamless data integration

Provides insights in compatible formats for easy cross-referencing with HMO licensing records and local council systems.

Harness data-driven insights to enhance HMO compliance

PriceHubble's solution empowers local authorities to proactively manage housing standards and tenant safety. By leveraging advanced analytics, we help and bring properties into regulatory compliance. Key applications include:

Resource optimisation: Focus limited enforcement resources on properties most likely operating without licenses.

Tenant safety assurance: Identifying unlicensed HMOs ensures tenants reside in properties meeting gas safety, kitchen facilities, and other regulatory standards.

Revenue enhancement: Recover lost rental income through fines, RROs, civil penalties, and additional licence requirements.

Regulatory compliance: Maintain up-to-date records and ensure adherence to HMO regulations and legal requirements.

Seamlessly integrate unlicensed HMO data into your workflow

Streamline your workflow and take swift action with PriceHubble’s flexible data delivery options. Our unlicensed HMO insights are available via API for real-time integration or as batch files for bulk data processing.

How our unlicensed HMO discovery solution works

Our solution firstly identifies the Private Rental Sector (PRS) properties within any local authority's jurisdiction. It then uses a scorecard developed using a wide range of proprietary property assets – supported with inputs from data partners such as Equifax, Zoopla, Royal Mail & Land Registry – to rank each rental property for its likelihood to be HMO.

Step 1

Our HMO discovery solution identifies all Private Rental Sector (PRS) properties in any local authority's jurisdiction

Step 2

The properties are ranked on a complex scorecard including multiple factors (property size/type, transaction history, insurance, EPC, tenancy agreements, etc.)

Step 3

The HMO candidate list is cross-referenced with the local authority's existing HMO licensing data

Step 4

The list of ranked HMO candidates is prioritised for investigation to expose unlicensed HMOs, recover lost revenue and ensure compliance

How our unlicensed HMO discovery solution works

Step 1

Our HMO discovery solution identifies all Private Rental Sector (PRS) properties in any local authority's jurisdiction

Step 2

The properties are ranked on a complex scorecard including multiple factors (property size/type, transaction history, insurance, EPC, tenancy agreements, etc.)

Step 3

The HMO candidate list is cross-referenced with the local authority's existing HMO licensing data

Step 4

The list of ranked HMO candidates is prioritised for investigation to expose unlicensed HMOs, recover lost revenue and ensure compliance

Step 1

Our HMO discovery solution identifies all Private Rental Sector (PRS) properties in any local authority's jurisdiction

Step 2

The properties are ranked on a complex scorecard including multiple factors (property size/type, transaction history, insurance, EPC, tenancy agreements, etc.)

Step 3

The HMO candidate list is cross-referenced with the local authority's existing HMO licensing data

Step 4

The list of ranked HMO candidates is prioritised for investigation to expose unlicensed HMOs, recover lost revenue and ensure compliance

Customer success story: Coventry City Council

In early 2023, Coventry City Council became one of the first local authorities to adopt our HMO Discovery solution and began investigating candidate properties which our unique scorecard identified as being likely to be unlicensed HMOs.

10x return on investment through fines and additional licensing revenue

95% success rate on high-priority investigations

Discovery of multiple unlicensed HMO portfolios owned by individual HMO landlords

Unlock the potential of unlicensed HMO discovery

Our pilot projects with existing local authority clients have shown 90% accuracy in uncovering unlicensed HMOs based on investigation of high-priority candidate properties. The solution is easy to test and implement, with no technical integration required and a high potential ROI.

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Q&A on our Unlicensed HMO discovery solutions

How accurate is the HMO Discovery solution?

Our pilot projects with councils have shown over 90% accuracy on high-priority candidate properties.

What are the main benefits of using an unlicensed HMO discovery solution for local councils?

The solution helps local councils to:

Identify hidden HMO properties operating without a licence
Prioritise enforcement using a data-driven approach
Recover lost revenue through licensing fees, civil penalties, and rent repayment orders (RROs)
Improve tenant safety across the private renting sector
Reduce reliance on complaints and manual investigations
Increase overall HMO licensing coverage and compliance

What is an unlicensed HMO?

An unlicensed House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) is a rental property that should be licensed under the Housing Act 2004 but is not. Unlicensed properties pose tenant safety risks, financial penalties, and lost rental income.

What enforcement actions can councils take?

Councils can issue civil penalties, fines, rent repayment orders (RROs), banning orders, and evict tenants if necessary under section 21 notices, depending on the case.

How do you prioritise properties for enforcement?

We use a 1–8 HMO scoring system, which ranks properties based on tenancy agreements, occupancy, EPCs, property type, and HMO licence data, based on the strength of evidence available:

1 - Strong evidence suggests HMO

2 - Very likely to be HMO

3 - Some evidence to suggest HMO

4 - Identified HMO location + occupancy capacity

5 - Potential to be HMO

6 - Possible HMO due to occupancy capacity

7 - No evidence to suggest HMO

8 - Evidence strongly suggests NOT a HMO

Focus is typically placed on scores 1–3, where the likelihood of an unlicensed HMO is highest.

Can this help recover months’ rent or enforce rent back?

Yes, by identifying unlicensed HMOs, councils can pursue RROs, fines, and recover months’ rent or rent back from non-compliant landlords.

What types of HMO properties can the solution cover?

All HMO property types, including large HMOs, shared facilities, and multiple occupancy dwellings across the PRS.

Q&A on our Unlicensed HMO discovery solutions

How accurate is the HMO Discovery solution?

Our pilot projects with councils have shown over 90% accuracy on high-priority candidate properties.

What are the main benefits of using an unlicensed HMO discovery solution for local councils?

The solution helps local councils to:

Identify hidden HMO properties operating without a licence
Prioritise enforcement using a data-driven approach
Recover lost revenue through licensing fees, civil penalties, and rent repayment orders (RROs)
Improve tenant safety across the private renting sector
Reduce reliance on complaints and manual investigations
Increase overall HMO licensing coverage and compliance

What is an unlicensed HMO?

What enforcement actions can councils take?

Councils can issue civil penalties, fines, rent repayment orders (RROs), banning orders, and evict tenants if necessary under section 21 notices, depending on the case.

How do you prioritise properties for enforcement?

We use a 1–8 HMO scoring system, which ranks properties based on tenancy agreements, occupancy, EPCs, property type, and HMO licence data, based on the strength of evidence available:

1 - Strong evidence suggests HMO

2 - Very likely to be HMO

3 - Some evidence to suggest HMO

4 - Identified HMO location + occupancy capacity

5 - Potential to be HMO

6 - Possible HMO due to occupancy capacity

7 - No evidence to suggest HMO

8 - Evidence strongly suggests NOT a HMO

Focus is typically placed on scores 1–3, where the likelihood of an unlicensed HMO is highest.

Can this help recover months’ rent or enforce rent back?

Yes, by identifying unlicensed HMOs, councils can pursue RROs, fines, and recover months’ rent or rent back from non-compliant landlords.

What types of HMO properties can the solution cover?

All HMO property types, including large HMOs, shared facilities, and multiple occupancy dwellings across the PRS.

Q&A on our Unlicensed HMO discovery solutions

How accurate is the HMO Discovery solution?

Our pilot projects with councils have shown over 90% accuracy on high-priority candidate properties.

What are the main benefits of using an unlicensed HMO discovery solution for local councils?

The solution helps local councils to:

Identify hidden HMO properties operating without a licence
Prioritise enforcement using a data-driven approach
Recover lost revenue through licensing fees, civil penalties, and rent repayment orders (RROs)
Improve tenant safety across the private renting sector
Reduce reliance on complaints and manual investigations
Increase overall HMO licensing coverage and compliance

What is an unlicensed HMO?

What enforcement actions can councils take?

Councils can issue civil penalties, fines, rent repayment orders (RROs), banning orders, and evict tenants if necessary under section 21 notices, depending on the case.

How do you prioritise properties for enforcement?

We use a 1–8 HMO scoring system, which ranks properties based on tenancy agreements, occupancy, EPCs, property type, and HMO licence data, based on the strength of evidence available:

1 - Strong evidence suggests HMO

2 - Very likely to be HMO

3 - Some evidence to suggest HMO

4 - Identified HMO location + occupancy capacity

5 - Potential to be HMO

6 - Possible HMO due to occupancy capacity

7 - No evidence to suggest HMO

8 - Evidence strongly suggests NOT a HMO

Focus is typically placed on scores 1–3, where the likelihood of an unlicensed HMO is highest.

Can this help recover months’ rent or enforce rent back?

Yes, by identifying unlicensed HMOs, councils can pursue RROs, fines, and recover months’ rent or rent back from non-compliant landlords.

What types of HMO properties can the solution cover?

All HMO property types, including large HMOs, shared facilities, and multiple occupancy dwellings across the PRS.

Q&A on our Unlicensed HMO discovery solutions

How accurate is the HMO Discovery solution?

Our pilot projects with councils have shown over 90% accuracy on high-priority candidate properties.

What are the main benefits of using an unlicensed HMO discovery solution for local councils?

The solution helps local councils to:

Identify hidden HMO properties operating without a licence
Prioritise enforcement using a data-driven approach
Recover lost revenue through licensing fees, civil penalties, and rent repayment orders (RROs)
Improve tenant safety across the private renting sector
Reduce reliance on complaints and manual investigations
Increase overall HMO licensing coverage and compliance

What is an unlicensed HMO?

What enforcement actions can councils take?

Councils can issue civil penalties, fines, rent repayment orders (RROs), banning orders, and evict tenants if necessary under section 21 notices, depending on the case.

How do you prioritise properties for enforcement?

We use a 1–8 HMO scoring system, which ranks properties based on tenancy agreements, occupancy, EPCs, property type, and HMO licence data, based on the strength of evidence available:

1 - Strong evidence suggests HMO

2 - Very likely to be HMO

3 - Some evidence to suggest HMO

4 - Identified HMO location + occupancy capacity

5 - Potential to be HMO

6 - Possible HMO due to occupancy capacity

7 - No evidence to suggest HMO

8 - Evidence strongly suggests NOT a HMO

Focus is typically placed on scores 1–3, where the likelihood of an unlicensed HMO is highest.

Can this help recover months’ rent or enforce rent back?

Yes, by identifying unlicensed HMOs, councils can pursue RROs, fines, and recover months’ rent or rent back from non-compliant landlords.

What types of HMO properties can the solution cover?

All HMO property types, including large HMOs, shared facilities, and multiple occupancy dwellings across the PRS.

Request a demo

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We look forward to speaking with you.

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We will get back to you quickly.

We look forward to speaking with you.

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I would like to receive PriceHubble’s emails and agree that they may include a tracking pixel to measure engagement. I can unsubscribe or opt out of tracking at any time.

By clicking "Request demo", I thereby accept Pricehubble's Privacy policy.

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We will get back to you within 24 business hours.