Sutton Council is considering extending mandatory licensing to all Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) in the borough, regardless of size.
The Sutton South, Cheam and Belmont Local Committee discussed the proposal at their meeting on 18 September 2025. Currently, a mandatory HMO licence is required if the HMO houses five or more people. The council is considering extending this to include all HMOs and has recently consulted on the proposal.
A house in multiple occupation (HMO) is defined as a property where at least three unrelated people from more than one household share amenities such as a kitchen, bathroom, or toilet. A household is defined as members of the same family.
As of February 2025, all new HMOs in Sutton require planning permission due to the council's Article 4 Direction. An Article 4 Direction removes permitted development rights, requiring planning permission for all new HMOs, regardless of size, to manage their growth and impact on the community.
According to the council's public register, there are 218 licensed HMOs across the borough, with 24 located within the Sutton South, Cheam and Belmont Local Committee area: 11 in South Sutton Ward, five in Cheam Ward, and eight in Belmont Ward. The register is available on the council website.
The council manages HMOs through licensing, with Environmental Health granting licences for up to five years if the property meets the required standards and the applicant is deemed a fit and proper person. Operating a licensable HMO without a licence is an offence, with penalties including unlimited fines and the council taking over management of the property. All HMOs, whether licensable or not, must meet amenity and fire safety standards. The specific amenity and fire safety standards that all HMOs must meet were not specified in the meeting information.
Under national planning rules, houses can be converted into small HMOs (up to six people) without planning permission, a provision known as permitted development rights
. However, HMOs for seven or more people always require planning permission. The council introduced its Article 4 Direction in February 2025, meaning that all HMOs now require planning permission, regardless of size. Failure to obtain planning permission could result in a planning enforcement investigation, according to the Houses of Multiple Occupation Slides presented to the committee.
The Houses of Multiple Occupation Slides presented to the committee provided an overview of HMO management and enforcement.