HMO licence fees, discounts, and exemptions

HMO licence fees

How much we charge for an HMO licence depends on:

the type of tenancy your property has and the number of occupants
if you're making a new application or re-licensing a property under the Mandatory HMO licence scheme

You can use our online HMO form to calculate your licence fee and type.

There is an additional charge for late applications. This will apply if you have been operating your licensable property for more than 28 days without a required licence. You will not be able to get a discount if we charge you a late fee.

How the licence fee is payable

The licence fee is payable in two parts:

Part A- covers the costs of processing, administration, and validation of the application. Part A fees are payable at the time of application.
Part B- covers the running costs of the scheme and our other licensing functions. Once we have approved the application, we will email a link to pay the Part B fee. You will be required to pay the balance of the licence fee within 10 working days. We will issue your property licence after we have received the Part B fee.

Terms and conditions

Should the application be refused or rejected by the Council, or withdrawn by the applicant, the part A payment will not be refunded.

Failure to make payment of the Part B fee, or to return required documentation upon request, will result in the application being deemed to be invalid. Under these circumstances, the Council will cancel the application and retain the non-refundable Part A fee. The property will be considered unlicensed.

Landlords found to be in breach of property licensing requirements may face a financial penalty notice of up to £30,000, or an unlimited fine upon prosecution. You could also have control of your unlicensed properties taken away from you and be ordered to repay up to 12 months' rent to your tenants.

Mandatory HMO Licence fees

Mandatory HMO licence fees for when there are 5 or more unrelated occupants on a single tenancy

Type of fee	5 occupants	6 to 8 occupants	9 to 11 occupants	12 to 14 occupants
Standard initial fee	£871	£891	£913	£934
Single discount	£794	£814	£836	£856
Double discount	£716	£737	£759	£779
Late fee	£987	£1,009	£1,029	£1,051
Standard re-license fee	£711	£721	£733	£743
Single discount	£634	£644	£656	£666
Double discount	£557	£567	£578	£589
Late re-license fee	£807	£817	£828	£839

If there are more than 14 occupants:

for new applications, add £22 for up to 3 additional occupants (based on per room)
for re-licensing applications, add £12 for up to 3 additional occupants (based on per room)

Mandatory HMO licence fees for when there are 5 or more tenancies (including bedsit HMOs with shared facilities)

Type of fee	5 tenancies	6 to 8 tenancies	9 to 11 tenancies	12 to 14 tenancies
Standard initial fee	£1,093	£1,263	£1,412	£1,560
Single discount	£1,016	£1,186	£1,334	£1,483
Double discount	£939	£1,109	£1,257	£1,405
Late fee	£1,157	£1,337	£1,486	£1,645
Standard re-license fee	£891	£913	£923	£945
Single discount	£814	£836	£846	£867
Double discount	£737	£759	£769	£791
Late re-license fee	£945	£966	£977	£998

If there are more than 14 occupants:

for new applications, add £29 for up to 3 additional occupants (based on per room and one facility)
for re-licensing applications, add £16 for up to 3 additional occupants (based on per room and one facility)

Additional HMO Licence fees

Additional HMO licence fees for when there are 3 to 4 unrelated occupants on a single tenancy

Type of fee	Cost
Standard initial fee	£849
Single discount	£772
Double discount	£695
Late fee	£956

Additional HMO licence fees for when there are 3 to 4 tenancies

Type of fee	Cost
Standard initial fee	£1,083
Single discount	£1,006
Double discount	£929
Late fee	£1,147

Discounts

Discounted fees are available for licence holders only.

You can't get a discount:

on a late fee
after you've submitted your licensing application - the discount is only applicable if you meet the criteria at the time of application and not available retrospectively

Accredited landlords or agents with Propertymark membership

You can get £75 discount on your licensing fee if you are:

accredited by the ihowz landlord association, national residential landlords’ association or safeagent; or
a letting or managing agent with associate membership of Propertymark and only where the agent will be the licence holder.

Energy Efficiency

You can get a £75 discount on your licence fee if:

the property’s EPC rating is C or above (or if the ‘potential rating’ is reached when only D or E ratings are achievable) and there is no licence fee discount for F or G.

Charitable Status

You can get a £75 discount on your licence fee if:

the owner or landlord is a charity registered with the Charity Commission.

Double discount

If you meet the criteria for more than one of the above discounts, you may be able to get a double discount on your licence fee.

You are only able to apply two discounts to your licence fee, for a maximum discount of £150.

Exemptions

Temporary Exemption from licensing

A landlord or managing agent can apply for a temporary exemption notice (TEN) when they are:

in control of a property which should have an HMO or Selective licence
taking steps to ensure that the property no longer needs to be licensed

You do not need a TEN if your property is empty and unoccupied.

The issuing of a TEN is at the discretion of the council. There are limited reasons why we would allow a TEN.

When issued, a TEN usually lasts three months. It can be extended by 3 months in certain circumstances on request. A TEN can be issued for a maximum of 6 months.

Find out more about Temporary Exemption.

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