Official guidance to check alongside this comparison: GOV.UK HMO licensing checks for England and Wales
How to use this comparison
The entries below were selected because their official pages describe a service relevant to this guide. They are listed alphabetically, with sources for scope and coverage. This is a starting point for provider research, not a performance ranking or an exhaustive market list. Fees and availability must be confirmed directly.
Pearl Lemon Properties publishes this guide and offers the acquisition services linked below. We have a commercial interest in enquiries. The provider list does not imply a partnership or endorsement.
Provider services at a glance
Compare the role and coverage first, then check fees and exclusions in the provider details below. On a small screen, swipe the table sideways.
| Provider | Role | Published scope | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| HMO Designers — Yuno-described compliance support | Licensing and wider compliance coordination | Scheme checks, application evidence, council liaison and renewal monitoring as advertised | HMO Designers advertises UK coverage; confirm council and delivery team |
| The HMO Licensing Company | Application and council inspection support | Property survey, application documentation, submission monitoring and separately priced inspection support | Advertises UK landlord and agent support; confirm council coverage |
What to check with each provider
HMO Designers — Yuno-described compliance support
HMO Designers' compliance page describes licensing support in Yuno's name. It covers application preparation and liaison alongside wider compliance services. Clarify the contracting business and named adviser rather than assume the design team delivers every task.
Ask before instructing: Which audits and technical checks need separately appointed specialists?
Fees: Confirm directly: obtain current fees, VAT, exclusions, payment stages and cancellation terms in writing.
Official service information: HMO Designers — Yuno-described compliance support · Checked
The HMO Licensing Company
Its service page separates preparing and monitoring the application from a council consultation and inspection service. Council charges are additional. Ask which stages your quotation includes, who pays the authority and what happens if further work is required.
Ask before instructing: What compliance assessment is outside the application appointment?
Fees: Published application service £395; council consultation and inspection service £195. Council fees additional. Confirm current prices, VAT treatment and scope directly.
Official service information: The HMO Licensing Company · Checked
Define an audit scope rather than ask for a blanket compliance promise
Give the adviser the address, existing use, intended occupancy, known issues and available documents. Ask for a written scope listing what will be reviewed, whether a visit is required and what will not be assessed. Confirm the jurisdiction and local requirements rather than borrow a checklist from another council.
Distinguish reviewing records from inspecting the building or carrying out specialist technical testing. A licensing administrator, designer, managing agent and legal adviser can have different responsibilities. Ask who is qualified and appointed for each task; one broad marketing statement does not establish that every check is included.
- What evidence will support the findings?
- Which inspections require another specialist?
- Does the report identify limits and unresolved questions?
Turn findings into an owned action register
Ask for findings that identify the issue, supporting evidence, required follow-up and the person responsible. Separate confirmed defects from missing documentation and questions still needing professional advice. This avoids interpreting an incomplete file as either automatic approval or proof of a breach.
For any remedial work, obtain an appropriate specification, quotation and completion evidence from the relevant professionals. Agree who verifies the action is complete and retains the record. Do not mark an issue closed merely because a contractor has been booked or an application submitted.
- Who approves and pays for each action?
- Which matters require prompt specialist attention?
- What document or inspection closes the finding?
Agree ongoing monitoring and the limits of the appointment
If you require ongoing support, set out how document expiry, licence conditions, changes in operation and council correspondence will be tracked. Confirm whether the provider only reports issues or also coordinates action. The landlord, manager and specialist advisers should understand their own responsibilities.
Compare audit fees separately from application fees, technical reports, repeat visits and remedial works. Ask what happens when findings change the intended purchase or letting plan. Buying an HMO does not turn acquisition support into a continuing compliance-management appointment; agree those services separately.
- What follow-up is included in the fee?
- Who owns the records if I change provider?
- How will new issues be escalated rather than lost in routine reporting?
Acquisition support from Pearl Lemon Properties
Share the acquisition brief and outstanding purchase questions. For an audit of an existing property or compliance-only work, contact the relevant specialist directly.
- HMO acquisition support
Discuss a buying brief with Pearl Lemon; appoint management, construction, compliance and finance professionals separately.
Assessing an HMO before buying?
Share the acquisition brief and outstanding purchase questions. For an audit of an existing property or compliance-only work, contact the relevant specialist directly.
Property acquisition support only; not management, building work or regulated financial advice.