214 Licensed HMOs Recorded In Causeway Coast and Glens

More than seven in ten licensed houses in multiple occupation in Causeway Coast and Glens were located in the Causeway district electoral area, according to a council report.

The area accounted for 153 of the borough’s 214 licensed HMOs as of 31 March 2026, representing approximately 71.5% of the total.

The report will be brought before Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council’s Environmental Services Committee next week, on Tuesday 13 October, for information. Members are being asked to note the update, which covers the 2025/26 financial year.

The figures also show 50 licensed HMOs in the Coleraine district electoral area, five each in Ballymoney and Bann, and one in The Glens.

Across the borough, the licensed properties had a combined permitted occupancy of 927 people. This represents the number permitted under the licences, rather than the number of people actually living in the properties.

Causeway Coast and Glens had the third-highest number of licensed HMOs among Northern Ireland’s 11 council areas, behind Belfast, with 2,996, and Derry City and Strabane, with 250.

Across Northern Ireland, there were 3,609 licensed HMOs with a combined permitted occupancy of 15,950 people.

During 2025/26, 60 HMO licences were granted or renewed in Causeway Coast and Glens, comprising 16 new applications and 44 renewals.

The report notes that new applications include properties previously licensed in another licence holder’s name which were subsequently sold or transferred. The 16 applications therefore do not necessarily represent 16 additional HMO properties.

Five applications in the borough were unsuccessful. The report records two under “Notice of Publication”, two under “Fee not Paid” and one under “Not received from owner”.

A total of 101 inspections were undertaken in the borough during the financial year. These comprised 71 licensing inspections, 24 final inspections and six enforcement inspections.

Two notices were issued under Section 72, which provides powers to require people connected to premises to produce documents.

No fixed penalty notices were served in Causeway Coast and Glens during the reporting period. Across Northern Ireland, £175,600 was paid following the issue of fixed penalty notices.

Belfast City Council’s Northern Ireland HMO service administers the licensing scheme on behalf of all 11 councils. Its work includes processing applications, inspecting properties, issuing enforcement notices and investigating breaches of licence conditions.