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The rules did not change in 2026. What it costs to get them wrong did.

A licence lasts five years but the certificates underneath it renew on their own cycles. Most landlords who fall foul of that are not ignoring it, they have simply lost track of which date falls when across several properties.

HMO landlords, portfolio landlords and letting agents

What goes wrong

A lapsed gas certificate is a criminal offence

Not a licence breach, not a civil penalty. Letting without a valid certificate is prosecutable, and it is the single date most likely to be missed because it renews annually while everything around it runs on longer cycles.

Rent repayment orders doubled

For offences on or after 1 May 2026 the maximum is two years of rent rather than one, the window for claiming doubled to two years, and the Act extended liability to superior landlords in rent to rent arrangements.

Licensing goes beyond the national threshold

More than seventy councils operate additional licensing covering smaller HMOs, and selective licensing covers every private rental in a designated area. A scheme can cover one street and not the next.

Room level income is invisible in most systems

Landlord software is built for single lets. Arrears by room, void by room and utility apportionment all end up in a spreadsheet.

Free tools

Start with something free

No signup and no email wall. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere.

HMO licence checker →

Four questions and you know whether a property needs a mandatory licence, what it costs and what the penalty is without one. Includes a room size calculator.

HMO compliance tracker →

Every certificate renewal date across the portfolio, with what is overdue and what is coming. Exports to your calendar.

Data health check →

Check a tenant or supplier list for the errors that break systems before you import it.

ProductBeing scoped

HMO Portfolio Manager

  • Every certificate date across the whole portfolio, with email reminders
  • Room by room rent, arrears and voids
  • Licence conditions and expiry per council
  • Tenant records and compliance documents in one place
  • Yield and cash flow per property against what you projected
How many people ask decides what we build next.
Bespoke work

Or something built around your business

Products solve the problem every property and lettings business has. When the problem is yours specifically, that is a build.

Excel automationThe rent spreadsheet, automated, before it gets any bigger.Custom business toolsPortfolio systems built around room level letting rather than single lets.Client portalsA branded portal for tenants or landlords to submit documents and see what is outstanding.
Book a free scoping callOr price it yourself first

Worth reading

Rent repayment orders doubled in May 2026 →What actually happens at an HMO licence inspection →HMO management software for UK landlords →
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