Local HMO compliance enquiry route
HMO Certificate Enquiries in Richmond upon Thames
Organise the separate safety records needed for a Richmond upon Thames HMO licence application, renewal, property handover or managed-house review. The council currently describes mandatory licensing for qualifying larger HMOs rather than a borough-wide additional scheme. That distinction matters: a shared property can meet the general HMO definition without meeting the five-occupier licensing threshold. Send the exact address, occupiers and households, shared amenities, room and letting arrangement, council instructions, existing reports, planning history, access contacts and deadline so each gas, electrical, portable-appliance, fire or other request is attached to the right rooms, common parts and installation.
See all London HMO certificate areas
Confirm occupancy, building type and the application boundary
Richmond Council tests several facts before mandatory licensing applies, including who lives at the property, household relationships, shared facilities, main-residence use and whether the dwelling falls within an excluded building type. Those facts should be settled before inspections are scheduled.
Occupiers and households
List every current or proposed occupier, explain household relationships and identify shared kitchens, bathrooms, WCs or cooking facilities. Do not use bedroom count as a substitute for actual occupancy.
House, flat or mixed-use building
State whether the address is a house, self-contained flat, maisonette, room letting, purpose-built block, conversion or residential space above a business. Include occupied basements and commercial floors when describing storeys.
Lettings, rooms and facilities
Match each letting to its floor and room position, proposed occupancy, room use and approximate size. Record bathrooms, WCs, kitchens, washbasins and common areas so the application and inspection brief describe the same property.
Owners, managers and access
Name the proposed licence holder and manager, plus every resident, agent, concierge, freeholder or key-holder needed for lawful entry. Identify any shared intake room, rear access or locked cupboard before the appointment.
Richmond HMOs can involve conservation controls and divided building access
Richmond, Kew, East Sheen, Mortlake and Barnes include period terraces, mansion flats, houses divided into lettings, flats above local parades and riverside developments. Boilers, meters, consumer units and alarm equipment may be in basements, rear additions, communal halls or freeholder-controlled rooms. Where a property sits in a conservation area, exterior alterations or earlier conversion work may have a separate planning history. Record the exact dwelling and access route rather than treating the whole building as one inspection area.
Twickenham, St Margarets, Teddington, Hampton, Hampton Wick and Whitton include converted houses, maisonettes, flats over shops, suburban family houses adapted for sharers and managed blocks. Controlled parking, narrow service access, agent-held keys and several occupiers can affect appointment timing. Borough and neighbourhood names can also be misleading near Hounslow, Kingston and Spelthorne boundaries, so the full postcode and responsible council should be confirmed before relying on a local licence rule.
Prepare the documents Richmond asks to see with the application
Richmond's current application form asks for relevant safety documents and a plan that ties room use and dimensions to the building. The gas, electrical and portable-appliance records remain separate inspections; the floor plan and fire information provide context but do not replace them.
Annual gas safety record
The application form requests a current annual gas safety certificate. List every appliance, meter, boiler and flue within the HMO scope and make clear if any gas installation serves a separate flat, common area or business.
Electrical installation report
Richmond asks for an Electrical Installation Condition Report dated within five years. Supply the complete report, identify every consumer unit included and attach evidence for completed remedial work where relevant.
Portable appliance evidence
The form also requests portable appliance test evidence. Provide the inventory and locations of landlord-supplied portable equipment; PAT does not assess the fixed installation covered by the EICR.
Floor plan and fire precautions
The required plan should show room layout, use, approximate size and smoke-alarm positions. Also describe protected escape routes, fire doors, alarms, blankets, notices and any other precautions present.
Which Richmond licence form and standards apply to this property?
Richmond defines an HMO as a property where at least three tenants from more than one household share facilities, but its current licensing page applies mandatory licensing to qualifying houses or self-contained flats with five or more occupiers from two or more households. Purpose-built flats in blocks of three or more self-contained flats and other listed property types may fall outside that mandatory route. Occupancy and building facts therefore need to be checked before using a licence label.
The council's current application form requests a current annual gas safety certificate, PAT evidence, an EICR dated within five years, and a floor plan showing room layout, use, approximate size and smoke-alarm positions. Richmond also says seven-plus-occupier HMOs require planning permission. Its published Article 4 pages address conservation, basement and commercial-to-residential controls rather than presenting a borough-wide C3-to-C4 HMO direction, but the exact address and works must still be checked. London Landlord Certifications can route safety-record enquiries; it does not decide licensing, planning or council acceptance.
Turn the Richmond application into a coordinated evidence schedule
1. Test the mandatory licence criteria
Compare the present occupation with Richmond's five-plus-occupier, two-plus-household and shared-amenity criteria. Check main-residence use, rent or employment links, property type and exemptions.
2. Reconcile rooms, reports and fire details
Compare the letting schedule and floor plan with the gas certificate, EICR, PAT inventory and fire precautions. Resolve missing rooms, different addresses, old uses or incomplete pages before booking.
3. Check planning and practical access
Richmond says HMOs with seven or more occupiers require planning permission. Review the address history and any conservation or Article 4 control separately, then confirm keys, parking and access to every included area.
Practical HMO certificate questions for Richmond upon Thames properties
Is there one HMO certificate for a Richmond upon Thames licence application?
No. Richmond's application uses separate gas, electrical and portable-appliance records alongside a floor plan and fire information. Each document has its own inspection scope and validity.
When is a mandatory HMO licence required in Richmond upon Thames?
The council says a qualifying property needs a licence when five or more occupiers from two or more households use it as their main residence, share facilities, and the other property, rental and exemption conditions are met.
Does a three- or four-person Richmond HMO need a mandatory licence?
Not under the current five-occupier mandatory threshold described by Richmond Council, although a property with at least three tenants from more than one household sharing facilities can still be an HMO with management and safety responsibilities. Check for later scheme changes.
What does Richmond require on the HMO floor plan?
The current application form says the plan must show room layout and use, approximate room sizes and smoke-alarm positions. The letting schedule should also identify room positions, occupiers and proposed occupation.
What information should I send before arranging Richmond HMO inspections?
Send the full address, occupiers and households, shared amenities, building and letting arrangement, council wording, floor plan, current reports, fire precautions, planning information, access contacts and deadline.
Need to assemble the safety file for a Richmond HMO?
Send the complete Richmond upon Thames address, present and proposed occupiers, household relationships, shared facilities, building and letting details, application or renewal wording, floor plan, gas, electrical and PAT records, fire information, planning history, access contacts and required date. The enquiry can then be separated into the relevant inspection routes without promising a single all-purpose HMO certificate.