Temporary Exemptions

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A person having control or manager of an HMO may notify the local authority of his intentions to take particular steps with a view to securing that the house is no longer required to be licensed. The local authority may, if they think fit, serve on that person a Temporary Exemption Notice (TEN) in respect of the house. If a TEN is granted the HMO is exempt from licensing and accordingly the manager/ owner does not commit the offence of operating an HMO without a licence.

A TEN can only be granted for a maximum period of three months, but in exceptional circumstances the local authority may issue a second TEN to last a further three months following the expiry of the original.

If a local authority decides not to serve a TEN, they must serve the person who gave the notification with a notice which must inform him of the decision, give reasons for the decision, the date of decision and inform him of the right of appeal to the RPT within 28 days beginning with the date specified in the notice, which must be the date of the decision.