FOI release
Freedom of Information request — HMO license register
This request was refused in full, so we didn't provide the information the requester asked for. This may include information where we can neither confirm nor deny that we hold it.
Case reference FOI2026/00832
Received 29 July 2026
Published 26 August 2026
Request
Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, please provide the council's current register of licensed Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs), maintained under section 232 of the Housing Act 2004. Please supply the data as a machine-readable spreadsheet (CSV or Excel), including the following fields for each licensed property: * Full property address and postcode * Licence holder / manager name * Licence status (in force / pending / expired) * Licence issue and expiry dates * Maximum number of permitted occupants / households * Licence type (mandatory HMO / additional / selective) If any of the above (e.g. licence holder names) is withheld, please explain the exemption relied on and provide all remaining fields. If this information is already published, a direct link to the current dataset is sufficient. I would prefer to receive this electronically to this email address. Please confirm receipt. Kind regards, Alex alexander.g@student-cribs.com [A black background with a black square Description automatically generated with medium confidence] Alex Gordon-Eales, ACA, FMVA Investment Analyst, [A black background with icons Description automatically generated] 07716098382 Follow us on: [A black background with icons Description automatically generated] alexander.g@student-cribs.com [A group of black circles with white text Description automatically generated][A group of black circles with white text Description automatically generated][A group of black circles with white text Description automatically generated][A group of black circles with white text Description automatically generated] [A black background with icons Description automatically generated] www.student-cribs.com [A black background with icons Description automatically generated] 33 Cavendish Square Margaret Street London W1G 0PW If this email relates in any way to the sale purchase or letting of a property, please note that the email is SUBJECT TO CONTRACT. This e-mail is confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual to whom it is addressed. Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the sender and should not be taken as representing the view of Student Cribs Limited. If you are not the intended recipient, be advised that you have received this e-mail in error and that any use, dissemination, forwarding, printing, or copying of this e-mail is strictly prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error please notify Student Cribs Limited. Student Cribs Limited accepts no liability in respect of any loss, damage, costs, charges, claims and expenses whatsoever, whether direct, indirect or consequential, suffered or incurred by any Company or individual in respect of its use of information supplied to it by Student Cribs Limited or in respect to any inaccuracy, mis-statement or misrepresentation in any advice given. Any e-mail attachment may contain software viruses which could damage your own computer system. Whilst reasonable precaution has been taken to minimise this risk, we cannot accept liability for any damage which you sustain as a result of software viruses. You should therefore carry out your own virus checks before opening any attachment. Student Cribs Limited is a limited company registered in England and Wales with number 07247566. Registered Office: 33 Cavendish Square, Margaret Street, London W1G 0PW. Further information about this company can be found at www.student-cribs.com If this email relates in any way to the sale, purchase or letting of a property, please note that the email is SUBJECT TO CONTRACT. This e-mail is confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual to whom it is addressed. Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the sender and should not be taken as representing the view of Student Cribs Limited. If you are not the intended recipient, be advised that you have received this e-mail in error and that any use, dissemination, forwarding, printing, or copying of this e-mail is strictly prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error please notify Student Cribs Limited. Student Cribs Limited accepts no liability in respect of any loss, damage, costs, charges, claims and expenses whatsoever, whether direct, indirect or consequential, suffered or incurred by any Company or individual in respect of its use of information supplied to it by Student Cribs Limited or in respect to any inaccuracy, mis-statement or misrepresentation in any advice given. Any e-mail attachment may contain software viruses which could damage your own computer system. Whilst reasonable precaution has been taken to minimise this risk, we cannot accept liability for any damage which you sustain as a result of software viruses. You should therefore carry out your own virus checks before opening any attachment. Student Cribs Limited is a limited company registered in England and Wales with number 07247566. Registered Office: 33 Cavendish Square, Margaret Street, London W1G 0PW. Further information about this company can be found at www.student-cribs.com If this email relates in any way to the sale, purchase or letting of a property, please note that the email is SUBJECT TO CONTRACT. This e-mail is confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual to whom it is addressed. Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the sender and should not be taken as representing the view of Student Cribs Limited. If you are not the intended recipient, be advised that you have received this e-mail in error and that any use, dissemination, forwarding, printing, or copying of this e-mail is strictly prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error please notify Student Cribs Limited. Student Cribs Limited accepts no liability in respect of any loss, damage, costs, charges, claims and expenses whatsoever, whether direct, indirect or consequential, suffered or incurred by any Company or individual in respect of its use of information supplied to it by Student Cribs Limited or in respect to any inaccuracy, mis-statement or misrepresentation in any advice given. Any e-mail attachment may contain software viruses which could damage your own computer system. Whilst reasonable precaution has been taken to minimise this risk, we cannot accept liability for any damage which you sustain as a result of software viruses. You should therefore carry out your own virus checks before opening any attachment. Student Cribs Limited is a limited company registered in England and Wales with number 07247566. Registered Office: 33 Cavendish Square, Margaret Street, London W1G 0PW. Further information about this company can be found at www.student-cribs.com If this email relates in any way to the sale, purchase or letting of a property, please note that the email is SUBJECT TO CONTRACT.
Response
In accordance with section 1(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA), Oxford City Council (OCC) confirms that it holds the HMO licence register maintained under section 232 of the Housing Act 2004.
The current HMO licence register is available through OCC's website, available under Register of HMO licences.
The webpage provides access to OCC's searchable HMO register and Public Access system. The information is updated on a real-time basis.
OCC is therefore relying on section 21(2)(b) of the FOIA in respect of the information contained in the statutory register. Section 21 applies to information which is reasonably accessible to the applicant by other means. Under section 21(2)(b), information is treated as reasonably accessible where a public authority is required by another enactment to make that information available to members of the public on request.
Under section 232 of the Housing Act 2004, OCC is required to maintain a register of licences which are in force, together with current temporary exemption notices and management orders. Section 232 also requires the register to be available for public inspection and requires the Council, on request and subject to any reasonable fee, to provide a copy of the register or an extract from it.
The particulars which must be included in the statutory register are prescribed by the Licensing and Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation and Other Houses (Miscellaneous Provisions) (England) Regulations 2006. The statutory register relates to licences which are in force. Pending applications and expired licences do not form part of the current register maintained under section 232.
Section 21 is an absolute exemption and is therefore not subject to the public interest test.
In accordance with section 16 of the FOIA, which relates to the duty to provide reasonable advice and assistance, OCC advises that if you require a copy of the full statutory register rather than using the online searchable register, information about obtaining a copy is available on the same webpage. The Residential Regulation Team can also be contacted through the details provided there.
If you disagree with any part of the response to your request, you are entitled to ask the Council for an internal review of the decision(s) made. You may do this by writing to the Monitoring Officer, by either email monitoringofficer@oxford.gov.uk – or by post to Monitoring Officer, Oxford City Council, Town Hall, St Aldate’s, Oxford, OX1 1BX. After the result of the internal review, if you remain dissatisfied, you may ask the Information Commissioner to intervene on your behalf. You may do this by writing to the Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.
Yours sincerely,
Freedom of Information Officer
| Freedom of Information Team | Law & Governance | Oxford City Council | Town Hall | St Aldate’s | Oxford | OX1 1BX |
Documents
There are no documents for this release.
