Does a student house need an HMO licence?

If five or more people from more than one household share it, yes: that is a mandatory HMO licence. Smaller shared houses may need one under the council’s additional licensing scheme, so check with your council.

Can TenantTool remind me when the HMO licence is due?

Yes. Record the licence against the property with its expiry date and it is tracked like any certificate, on your dashboard, in your calendar and by email.

Is it for purpose-built student accommodation?

It is built for landlords who let houses and flats. Large purpose-built blocks let room by room usually need a system built around individual rooms.

Student landlords

Software for student landlords

A student house turns over every year, often has five or six sharers on one tenancy, and usually needs an HMO licence. That is a lot of dates, people and repairs to hold in your head. TenantTool holds them for you and tells you what is due before it is.

Updated 21 September 2026

The student letting year, laid out

Student lets run to the academic calendar: new tenancies over the summer, moves out in June, and a short gap in between for repairs, cleaning and certificates. TenantTool’s calendar shows every tenancy start and end, each certificate’s expiry and every booked contractor visit, so the summer turnaround is planned rather than rushed.

HMO licences and safety, tracked

A house shared by five or more people who form more than one household needs a mandatory HMO licence from the council, and many councils also license smaller shared houses. A licence usually lasts up to five years and comes with conditions. Record it in TenantTool like any certificate and you are reminded well before it runs out.

Gas safety, the electrical report (EICR), smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, the EPC and any fire risk assessment sit alongside it. If a certificate comes back with a failure, such as a C2 on an EICR, it is flagged the day it is filed, with the repair deadline counting down.

Several sharers, one tenancy

Each tenancy holds every sharer’s name and contact details, the rent, the deposit and its scheme, and the documents that go with it. Previous years’ tenancies are kept, so the history of each house is there when a deposit dispute or a council inspection needs it.

Repairs reported properly

With TenantTool Pro, tenants report problems through the tenant portal with photos, instead of in a group chat. You are emailed straight away, TenantTool suggests which of your contractors do that trade and have worked at the house before, and it writes the email to them. Tenants are told when the job is booked and when it is done.

Bills and council tax

Record which bills are included in the rent on each tenancy. A home lived in only by full-time students is normally exempt from council tax, but the exemption has to be claimed, so keep the students’ certificates with the tenancy documents where you can find them.

Student lets and the Renters’ Rights Act

Tenancies in England are now periodic by default. The Act includes a possession ground aimed at shared student houses so that landlords can keep to the academic year, but it comes with conditions, so check them before relying on it. TenantTool flags any tenancy without written terms on file.

Where this applies

This guide covers England. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own rules, so check the requirements for where your property is.

Common questions

Does a student house need an HMO licence?: If five or more people from more than one household share it, yes: that is a mandatory HMO licence. Smaller shared houses may need one under the council’s additional licensing scheme, so check with your council.
Can TenantTool remind me when the HMO licence is due?: Yes. Record the licence against the property with its expiry date and it is tracked like any certificate, on your dashboard, in your calendar and by email.
Is it for purpose-built student accommodation?: It is built for landlords who let houses and flats. Large purpose-built blocks let room by room usually need a system built around individual rooms.