Property Compliance Questions & Answers

HMO stands for House in Multiple Occupation.

In general, a property can be considered an HMO where at least three tenants live there, form more than one household, and share facilities such as a kitchen or bathroom.

A household can be a single person or members of the same family living together, so three unrelated people sharing a property may form three separate households.

An HMO does not necessarily need to have been physically converted. How the property is occupied is an important part of determining whether it is an HMO.

Being an HMO does not automatically tell you whether a licence or planning permission is required. Licensing and planning requirements depend on factors including occupancy, property type, location and the rules operating in the relevant local authority area.

Yuno can help identify the licensing and planning requirements affecting a specific property. Learn more about HMO properties.

No.

Different licensing regimes apply to different properties.

Mandatory HMO Licensing applies nationally to qualifying larger HMOs, while local authorities can introduce Additional Licensing schemes covering other HMOs.

The exact requirement therefore depends on the property, how it is occupied and the licensing schemes operating in its area.

Mandatory HMO Licensing is the national licensing regime applying to qualifying larger HMOs.

It generally applies where a property is occupied by five or more people forming two or more households who share facilities such as a kitchen or bathroom.

Local requirements and the circumstances of the individual property should still be checked before assuming a particular licensing position. See Mandatory HMO Licensing.

Additional Licensing allows a local authority to require HMOs that fall outside Mandatory HMO Licensing to obtain a licence within a designated area.

This means a smaller HMO may still require a licence.

Additional Licensing schemes are introduced locally, so their geographical coverage and requirements can vary between councils. See Additional HMO Licensing.

Selective Licensing is different from HMO licensing because it can apply more broadly to privately rented properties within a designated area, not only HMOs.

A local authority can introduce a Selective Licensing scheme covering specified properties in a particular area.

Whether a property is affected therefore depends heavily on its location and the scheme currently operating there. See Selective Property Licensing.

A Section 257 HMO is a particular type of converted building containing self-contained flats.

Broadly, it concerns buildings converted into flats where the conversion did not comply with the relevant Building Regulations in force at the time and where less than two-thirds of the flats are owner-occupied.

Section 257 HMOs can be affected by specific licensing requirements, including local Additional Licensing schemes.

Because the definition depends on the history and occupation of the building, the individual property should be assessed rather than assuming that every converted block is treated the same way. See Licensing of s257 HMOs.

Mandatory HMO Licensing is a national requirement applying to qualifying larger HMOs.

Additional Licensing is introduced by individual local authorities and can extend HMO licensing to other HMOs that fall outside the mandatory regime.

Selective Licensing is also introduced locally but can apply to privately rented properties more broadly, rather than only HMOs.

A property can therefore be affected differently depending on its occupancy, property type and location.

The requirement depends on factors including:

• where the property is located
• how many people occupy it
• how many households they form
• the type and configuration of the property
• the licensing schemes currently operated by the local authority

Yuno's compliance technology is designed to identify property-specific licensing requirements rather than relying on a single national rule.

Yes.

While Mandatory HMO Licensing operates nationally, local authorities can introduce their own Additional and Selective Licensing schemes.

This means two similar properties in different council areas can have different licensing requirements.

No.

Licensing and planning are separate regulatory questions.

A property can require an HMO licence and also have a separate planning requirement.

Obtaining a licence does not automatically establish that the property's planning use is lawful, and having the correct planning position does not automatically satisfy licensing requirements.

Both should be checked.

Yes.

Yuno's licensing support goes beyond identifying that a licence may be required.

Yuno can support the process from identifying the requirement and establishing what information is needed through to the application process and ongoing compliance monitoring. See Licensing Support.

Receiving the licence is not necessarily the end of the compliance process.

Licence conditions may need to be met and the requirement may need to be monitored through the licence period and eventual renewal.

Yuno can help track ongoing requirements and renewal dates across individual properties or a portfolio.

Property licences are attached to the relevant licence holder and property circumstances and should not be assumed to transfer automatically when ownership or responsibility changes.

Where circumstances change, the licensing position should be checked and a new application may be required.

An Article 4 Direction is a planning control that removes specified permitted development rights within a defined area.

In the HMO context, an Article 4 Direction can mean that changing a property's use to an HMO requires planning permission where that change might otherwise have been permitted without a full planning application.

Article 4 Directions are location-specific, so the planning position needs to be checked for the individual property. Check Article 4 HMO Planning.

No.

Article 4 Directions are introduced by local planning authorities and apply to defined geographical areas.

A property in one part of a council area may therefore be affected while another property is not.

No.

Licensing and planning are separate systems.

An HMO licence does not automatically confirm that the property's planning use is correct.

Where both regimes apply, each requirement needs to be considered separately.

Larger HMOs can fall outside the standard C4 HMO use class and into Sui Generis use.

This creates a different planning position from a smaller HMO and can require specific planning permission.

The exact position should be assessed for the individual property and proposed use.

A Lawful Development Certificate provides formal confirmation of the lawfulness of an existing or proposed use or development.

It can be useful where a property owner needs formal evidence of the property's lawful planning position.

Yes.

Yuno covers both licensing and planning.

The platform can help identify requirements such as HMO planning and Article 4 issues, while Yuno's support services can help users understand and address the relevant process.

Yes.

Yuno provides planning support from identifying the relevant planning requirement through to application support, with qualified planning expertise available where required. See Planning Support.

HHSRS stands for the Housing Health and Safety Rating System.

It is the framework used to assess potential health and safety hazards in residential property.

Rather than simply treating a property as passing or failing against one fixed checklist, HHSRS considers the risk that a hazard could cause harm to an occupant and the potential severity of that harm.

Local authorities use the framework when assessing housing conditions.

HHSRS covers 29 categories of potential hazards, including risks associated with damp and mould, excess cold, falls, fire, sanitation and other conditions that can affect occupants' health or safety. See HHSRS Assessment.

An HHSRS assessment is an inspection used to identify and evaluate potential health and safety hazards within a residential property.

The process typically involves:

• Property inspection. The property is assessed for potential hazards covered by the HHSRS framework.
• Risk scoring. Identified hazards are evaluated according to the likelihood of harm and the potential severity of that harm.
• Remediation. Where hazards are identified, appropriate corrective action can be established.
• Compliance review. After improvements are completed, a further review may be appropriate to establish whether the relevant risks have been addressed.

HHSRS assesses 29 categories of potential housing hazards.

These cover a broad range of risks affecting health and safety rather than focusing on one particular area such as fire or damp.

The HHSRS framework covers 29 hazard categories:

• Damp and mould growth
• Excess cold
• Excess heat
• Asbestos and manufactured mineral fibres
• Biocides
• Carbon monoxide and fuel combustion products
• Lead
• Radiation
• Uncombusted fuel gas
• Volatile organic compounds
• Crowding and space
• Entry by intruders
• Lighting
• Noise
• Domestic hygiene, pests and refuse
• Food safety
• Personal hygiene, sanitation and drainage
• Water supply
• Falls associated with baths
• Falling on level surfaces
• Falling on stairs
• Falling between levels
• Electrical hazards
• Fire
• Flames and hot surfaces
• Collision and entrapment
• Explosions
• Position and operability of amenities
• Structural collapse and falling elements

The assessment considers the potential harm and likelihood associated with relevant hazards in the individual property.

HHSRS uses risk scoring to assess the seriousness of identified hazards.

Category 1 hazards represent the more serious risks and require local authorities to take appropriate enforcement action.

Category 2 hazards are lower-scoring hazards for which authorities have discretion over whether enforcement action is appropriate.

The classification depends on the likelihood and potential severity of harm.

The appropriate next step depends on the nature and seriousness of the hazard.

The property may require corrective or remediation work to reduce or remove the risk.

Serious hazards can lead to local-authority enforcement.

After improvements are made, a follow-up review may also be appropriate to establish whether the property now meets the required safety standard.

HHSRS is relevant to those responsible for the condition and safety of residential rental property.

This can include:

• private landlords
• letting agents
• property managers
• housing providers

It can be particularly important where there are concerns about property condition or where a local authority has started enforcement action.

Yes.

Yuno's HHSRS support includes property hazard inspections, compliance guidance, remediation support and proactive property checks.

Yuno can help identify risks across the HHSRS hazard categories and provide support in understanding what needs to happen next. See HHSRS Assessment.

A Fire Risk Assessment is a structured assessment of fire hazards and the risks they create for people using or occupying a building.

It identifies potential fire risks and considers the measures required to reduce those risks.

Depending on the property, this can include escape routes, fire doors, compartmentation, detection and warning systems, emergency lighting and other fire safety measures. See Fire Safety Support.

The Responsible Person is the person or organisation responsible for managing fire safety duties for premises covered by the relevant fire safety legislation.

Depending on the building and management structure, this can include a freeholder, landlord, employer, managing agent or another party with control of the premises.

Depending on the building, a Fire Risk Assessment can consider areas such as:

• fire hazards and ignition risks
• escape routes
• fire doors
• compartmentation
• fire stopping
• smoke and fire detection
• alarm systems
• emergency lighting
• fire-fighting equipment
• risks to occupants
• fire safety management arrangements

The exact assessment should reflect the property and how it is used.

Fire compartmentation is the use of fire-resistant construction to restrict the spread of fire and smoke between different parts of a building.

Walls, floors, fire doors and correctly installed fire stopping can all form part of the compartmentation strategy.

Fire stopping is used to seal openings, penetrations and gaps in fire-resistant walls, floors and other compartments.

Its purpose is to help maintain the fire resistance of the compartment and restrict the spread of fire and smoke.

Fire doors are designed to resist the spread of fire and smoke for a defined period.

Their effectiveness depends on more than the door leaf itself.

Correct installation, frames, seals, hinges, self-closing devices and ongoing maintenance can all affect whether the door performs as intended.

No.

The core purpose is still to identify and manage fire risk, but the building use, occupants, management arrangements and relevant hazards affect what needs to be considered.

A workplace assessment, for example, may place additional emphasis on employees, emergency procedures and workplace-specific hazards.

No.

Yuno's fire safety support can extend from identifying risks and arranging assessments through to helping users understand the required actions and access appropriate qualified experts.

Yes.

Yuno combines expert fire safety support with compliance tracking, helping property professionals manage assessments, actions, documentation and ongoing requirements across multiple properties.

An Energy Performance Certificate, or EPC, provides information about a property's energy efficiency.

Properties receive a rating from A to G, with A representing the highest energy efficiency and G the lowest.

The certificate also provides information that can help property owners understand potential energy-efficiency improvements. See EPCs & Energy Support.

An EPC is normally valid for 10 years.

Property owners and managers should still consider whether a new assessment is appropriate where relevant circumstances or the property's energy performance change.

MEES stands for Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards.

These rules establish minimum energy-efficiency requirements for properties within their scope.

Because energy regulation can change, the current requirement should be checked rather than relying on assumptions about future standards.

Yes.

Yuno can help identify properties with EPC requirements requiring attention and monitor relevant energy-compliance information across a portfolio.

Yes.

Yuno's energy support can include EPC reviews, improvement planning, retrofit assessment, guidance and access to relevant experts and contractors.

Yes.

Yuno's energy support can help users understand potential retrofit and improvement requirements before committing to upgrade work, supporting more informed decisions about the property.

Building compliance is the broader process of ensuring that a building meets the legal and safety requirements affecting its design, construction and ongoing operation.

It can encompass multiple areas, including:

• Building Regulations
• structural safety
• fire safety
• accessibility
• energy efficiency
• health and safety
• documentation and certification
• ongoing inspection and maintenance
• Building Safety Act responsibilities where applicable

Importantly, building compliance is not only a construction-stage issue. Compliance responsibilities can continue throughout the building's occupation and management. See Building Compliance.

Building Regulations are statutory requirements applying to relevant building work.

They set minimum standards across areas including structural integrity, fire safety, accessibility, ventilation, drainage, energy performance, materials and other aspects of building design and construction.

Relevant work may require plans, Building Control involvement, inspections and formal completion documentation. See Building Regulations Compliance.

No.

Building Regulations compliance relates specifically to the statutory standards applying to relevant building work, design and construction.

Building compliance is broader. It can include Building Regulations but also ongoing fire safety, building safety, health and safety, certification, maintenance and other legal requirements affecting a building during occupation.

A Building Regulations Compliance Certificate provides evidence that relevant building work has been inspected and has met the applicable Building Regulations requirements.

Evidence of compliant work can be important when a property is sold, let, insured or refinanced.

Building projects can involve several dutyholders, including clients, designers and contractors, each with responsibilities relevant to their role.

Using contractors or specialists does not mean that every legal responsibility automatically transfers away from the person or organisation commissioning or controlling the work.

The relevant dutyholder responsibilities should therefore be understood at the beginning of the project.

The Building Safety Act introduced an enhanced regulatory regime for higher-risk residential buildings.

Whether a building falls within that regime depends on statutory criteria including its height or number of storeys and residential use.

Where the higher-risk regime applies, additional building-safety responsibilities and regulatory oversight can apply.

An Accountable Person is a person or organisation with specified responsibility for managing building safety risks in an occupied higher-risk building.

Where more than one Accountable Person exists, a Principal Accountable Person can have additional responsibilities for the building.

The golden thread refers to the information required to understand and manage a building and its safety throughout its lifecycle.

It is intended to ensure that relevant building and safety information is accurate, accessible and maintained so that those responsible for the building can make informed safety decisions.

Yes.

Yuno combines technology and expert support to help property professionals understand compliance requirements, identify areas requiring action, manage relevant information and access appropriate specialists. See Building Compliance Support.

Property compliance is the process of ensuring that a property meets the legal, regulatory, safety and maintenance requirements that apply to it.

Depending on the property, this can include:

• property licensing
• planning
• fire safety
• building safety
• HHSRS
• gas safety
• electrical safety
• EPCs and energy requirements
• alarms
• documentation and certification
• other lettings and property-management obligations

Different properties can have different requirements, which is why compliance needs to be assessed at property level.

Some compliance requirements are relatively standardised, such as tracking recurring certificates or inspections.

Complex compliance involves requirements that can depend more heavily on the property, location, building type or changing regulation.

Yuno's complex compliance approach includes areas such as licensing, planning, fire safety and building safety alongside more routine requirements such as gas, electrical and EPC compliance.

A portfolio can contain properties with different:

• local-authority rules
• licensing requirements
• planning positions
• certificates
• inspections
• renewal dates
• fire and building-safety obligations

As the number of properties grows, spreadsheets and manual reminders make it increasingly difficult to see which properties require attention and why.

Yes.

Licensing is only one part of Yuno's compliance offering.

Yuno's platform and support services cover areas including licensing, planning, fire safety, building safety, HHSRS, gas and electrical compliance, EPCs and energy requirements and wider property compliance. See Property Compliance Software.

No.

Yuno is designed around an end-to-end compliance process.

The aim is to help users:

• identify what requires attention
• understand what needs to happen
• obtain the relevant report, certificate, licence, planning support, assessment or expert help
• continue monitoring the requirement afterwards

Yes.

Where an identified compliance issue requires physical work or specialist assessment, Yuno can provide access to qualified, experienced and appropriately accredited experts and contractors for relevant services.

Yes.

Yuno's technology provides compliance tracking, alerts and regulatory information designed to help users identify upcoming actions and respond to changing requirements.

Yuno brings property compliance requirements into one central system.

The platform is designed to help property professionals identify requirements, monitor compliance status, track deadlines and renewals, manage documentation and understand where action is required.

It covers both routine and complex compliance areas. See Property Compliance Software.

Yuno's compliance offering covers areas including:

• property licensing
• planning
• fire safety
• building safety
• gas and electrical safety
• EPC and energy requirements
• wider lettings and property compliance

The exact requirements are assessed at property level.

Yes.

Yuno is designed for both individual properties and larger portfolios.

For users managing multiple properties, the platform provides a centralised view of compliance requirements and areas requiring attention.

Yes.

Yuno provides alerts and reminders for relevant compliance actions, deadlines, inspections and renewals, helping reduce reliance on manual tracking.

Yes.

Yuno provides document-management functionality for relevant compliance records such as certificates, reports and other supporting evidence.

Portfolio compliance means ensuring that every property within a portfolio meets the legal, regulatory and safety requirements that apply to it.

Because different properties can have different requirements, effective portfolio compliance requires property-level visibility rather than treating the entire portfolio as though every asset is identical. See Portfolio Compliance.

Yuno's Portfolio Audit combines Yuno technology and in-house expertise to provide a broader, data-driven view of compliance and risk across a property portfolio.

It is intended to help property professionals understand portfolio-level issues and make more informed strategic decisions.

Property MOT is Yuno's suite of marketing and property-data tools powered by the Property Compliance Checker.

It is designed to help property professionals capture property information, identify compliance opportunities and support lead generation.

Yes.

Yuno has direct API integrations with leading property software including Reapit, SME Professional, GreenhouseOS, Help me Fix and SMS Speedway.

Through Yuno's partnership with Gluedog, that extends further to MRI Software, Apex27, Acquaint, Street, Loop and others, with more being added regularly.

Yuno is compliance-first.

Its core role is to identify, track and help resolve property compliance requirements.

Yuno also integrates with property-management and industry technology so compliance can sit alongside the systems property professionals already use.

Yes.

Yuno combines technology with specialist human support.

Where automation alone is not enough, Yuno provides access to expertise across areas including licensing, planning, fire safety, energy and building compliance.

Yuno supports a broad range of property professionals, including:

• estate and letting agents
• landlords and portfolio owners
• freeholders
• property and building managers
• developers and investors
• property sales professionals
• property service companies
• housing organisations and other organisations responsible for property compliance

Yuno helps letting agents identify and monitor compliance requirements across landlord portfolios.

It can reduce manual compliance administration, provide clearer portfolio visibility and give agents access to additional compliance services where action is required.

Yes.

Yuno enables letting agents to give landlords access to compliance services while creating an opportunity for the agent to earn financially from services their landlords choose to take.

Yuno helps landlords understand what compliance requirements apply to their properties, monitor ongoing obligations and access support where action is required.

This can be particularly useful where local requirements differ between council areas or where a landlord manages multiple properties.

Yuno helps freeholders monitor building and property compliance, understand changing requirements, manage compliance across multiple buildings and access expert support where action is required.

This can include areas such as fire safety, building safety and wider property compliance.

Yes.

Property compliance issues can create delays during transactions.

Yuno can help property sales professionals identify relevant licensing, certification and wider compliance issues earlier and organise compliance information before a transaction progresses.

Yes.

Yuno can help property service companies extend their compliance offering through technology, compliance checks and access to additional specialist services.

No.

Yuno can support individual properties as well as larger portfolios.

The relevant workflow depends on the user's property, portfolio and compliance requirements.

No.

Yuno's proposition is end-to-end.

The process is designed to move from identifying a requirement through to understanding what needs to happen, accessing the relevant service or expert support and continuing to monitor compliance afterwards.

Yes.

Yuno combines its technology with support services and a network of relevant experts.

Depending on the requirement, this can include assessments, licensing and planning support, fire safety, energy and building-compliance services.

Yes.

Portfolio monitoring is one of Yuno's core use cases.

Users can use Yuno to identify requirements, see which properties require attention and continue monitoring compliance changes and renewals.

Yes.

Where a licence is required, Yuno can go beyond monitoring by supporting the application process, including identifying the requirement, establishing the necessary information and supporting the application through the relevant process.

No.

Yuno combines technology with expert support.

Automation helps identify, organise and monitor requirements, while qualified specialists can support areas requiring professional assessment, advice or physical work.

Yes.

A core purpose of Yuno is to make compliance requirements visible and actionable, helping users identify which properties require attention and what needs to happen next.

Yes.

Users can speak to Yuno about their property or portfolio and the relevant compliance requirements before deciding on the appropriate next step.