NI Houses in Multiple Occupation
From Monday 1 April 2019, licensing laws for shared flats and houses will change.
On this date the Houses in Multiple Occupation Act (Northern Ireland) 2016 will come in to operation and local councils across NI will take over responsibility for regulating houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) from the NI Housing Executive.
Belfast City Council's Northern Ireland Houses in Multiple Occupation team will manage the delivery of the NI HMO scheme on behalf of all local councils.
Moving forward, all HMOs must be licensed by their local council and all HMO owners must comply with the Houses in Multiple Occupation Act (Northern Ireland) 2016.
You can apply online via the Belfast City Council website or in person at your local council office. You must provide all the relevant documentation downloadable from the Belfast City Council website and the appropriate fee (details also available on the Belfast City Council website).
Applications will only be accepted from 1 April 2019 onwards.