How much does an HMO licence cost?
An HMO licence has two parts: the council’s own statutory fee, which varies by council, and our done-for-you service at £599. The council fee is paid directly to the council.
By the numbers
- 97
- English councils tracked, each fee taken from the council’s own published source
- £492–£2,750
- range of council fees we’ve recorded for a five-person HMO
- 32
- run additional licensing, so smaller shared homes can need a licence too
The council’s fee
Most councils split the fee into two parts: Part A on application and Part B on grant. The exact figure depends on your council and the size of the property. Enter your postcode in theapplication tool to see the fee where your property is, then we handle the rest.
HMO licence fees by council
Each figure below is the council’s own published fee for a standard five-person HMO, taken from that council’s own source. Where a council hasn’t published a fee we confirm it on application rather than guess.
| Council | Schemes | Council fee (5-person) |
|---|---|---|
| Barnsley | Mandatory | £800 |
| Bath and North East Somerset | Mandatory | £1,025 |
| Bedford | Mandatory, Additional | £1,207 |
| Birmingham | Mandatory, Additional | £755 |
| Blackpool | Mandatory, Selective | £1,176 |
| Bolton | Mandatory | £894 |
| Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | Mandatory | £1,511 |
| Bracknell Forest | Mandatory | £1,480 |
| Bradford | Mandatory | £1,625 |
| Bury | Mandatory | £686 |
| Calderdale | Mandatory | £989 |
| Cheshire East | Mandatory | £1,076 |
| Cheshire West and Chester | Mandatory | £786 |
| Wolverhampton | Mandatory | £1,547 |
| York | Mandatory, Additional | £1,524 |
| County Durham | Mandatory, Selective | £1,050 |
| Coventry | Mandatory, Additional | £1,571 |
| Croydon | Mandatory | £1,475 |
| Darlington | Mandatory | £992 |
| Derby | Mandatory | £1,368 |
| East Riding of Yorkshire | Mandatory | £1,205 |
| Greenwich | Mandatory, Additional, Selective | £2,639 |
| Haringey | Mandatory, Additional, Selective | £1,360 |
| Hartlepool | Mandatory | £825 |
| Herefordshire | Mandatory | £1,404 |
| Huntingdonshire | Mandatory | £705 |
| Kingston upon Hull | Mandatory | £910 |
| Kirklees | Mandatory | £664 |
| Knowsley | Mandatory | £875 |
| Leeds | Mandatory, Selective | £975 |
| Leicester | Mandatory, Selective | £900 |
| Liverpool | Mandatory, Selective | £1,328 |
| Barking and Dagenham | Mandatory, Additional, Selective | £1,500 |
| Barnet | Mandatory, Additional | £1,872 |
| Brent | Mandatory, Additional, Selective | £1,040 |
| Bromley | Mandatory | £2,648 |
| Harrow | Mandatory, Additional | £1,900 |
| Lambeth | Mandatory, Additional, Selective | £2,750 |
| Lewisham | Mandatory, Additional, Selective | £2,500 |
| Merton | Mandatory, Additional, Selective | £2,143 |
| Newham | Mandatory, Additional, Selective | £1,400 |
| Redbridge | Mandatory, Additional, Selective | £2,186 |
| Richmond upon Thames | Mandatory | £1,827 |
| Sutton | Mandatory, Additional | £1,597 |
| Waltham Forest | Mandatory, Additional, Selective | £1,650 |
| Wandsworth | Mandatory, Additional, Selective | £1,711 |
| Luton | Mandatory, Additional, Selective | £1,554 |
| Manchester | Mandatory, Selective | £1,321 |
| Mid Sussex | Mandatory | £1,425 |
| Milton Keynes | Mandatory | £730 |
| North East Lincolnshire | Mandatory, Selective | £850 |
| North Lincolnshire | Mandatory, Selective | £1,063 |
| North Northamptonshire | Mandatory | £1,516 |
| North Somerset | Mandatory | £752 |
| North Tyneside | Mandatory | £750 |
| North Yorkshire | Mandatory, Selective | £980 |
| Nottingham | Mandatory, Additional, Selective | £1,607 |
| Oldham | Mandatory, Selective | £1,214 |
| Peterborough | Mandatory, Additional, Selective | £1,100 |
| Plymouth | Mandatory | £1,097 |
| Portsmouth | Mandatory, Additional | £1,257 |
| Reading | Mandatory, Additional | £1,500 |
| Redcar and Cleveland | Mandatory, Selective | £650 |
| Rochdale | Mandatory, Additional | £1,276 |
| Rotherham | Mandatory, Selective | £929 |
| Kensington and Chelsea | Mandatory, Additional | £1,493 |
| Kingston upon Thames | Mandatory | £1,597 |
| Windsor and Maidenhead | Mandatory | £921 |
| Sandwell | Mandatory, Additional | £1,021 |
| Sefton | Mandatory, Additional, Selective | £950 |
| Sheffield | Mandatory | £1,185 |
| Shropshire | Mandatory | £1,458 |
| Slough | Mandatory | £1,086 |
| Solihull | Mandatory | £1,075 |
| Somerset | Mandatory | £949 |
| South Gloucestershire | Mandatory | £936 |
| Southampton | Mandatory, Additional | £953 |
| Southend-on-Sea | Mandatory, Selective | £1,300 |
| St Helens | Mandatory | £1,240 |
| Stockport | Mandatory | £1,190 |
| Stockton-on-Tees | Mandatory, Selective | £1,250 |
| Stoke-on-Trent | Mandatory | £895 |
| Swindon | Mandatory | £1,474 |
| Telford and Wrekin | Mandatory | £1,522 |
| Thurrock | Mandatory, Additional, Selective | £1,670 |
| Torbay | Mandatory | £2,007 |
| Trafford | Mandatory | £1,223 |
| Wakefield | Mandatory | £847 |
| Walsall | Mandatory, Additional | £1,240 |
| Warrington | Mandatory | £492 |
| West Berkshire | Mandatory | £1,480 |
| West Northamptonshire | Mandatory, Additional | £1,295 |
| Westminster | Mandatory, Additional, Selective | £1,540 |
| Westmorland and Furness | Mandatory | £700 |
| Wigan | Mandatory | £792 |
| Wirral | Mandatory, Selective | £875 |
| Wokingham | Mandatory | £1,551 |
Fees are taken from each council’s own published source and verified by date on the council’s page. 97 councils listed and growing — if yours isn’t here yet, we still handle it. Start with your postcode →
Our service
£599
- Your day back — about five minutes of input from you, not a day of paperwork
- We complete and submit the full application to your council
- All the right forms for your council’s scheme
- A document checklist so nothing is missed
- A specialist review before submission
- Email support throughout
The council’s own fee is paid directly to the council — we add no markup. Secure payment via Stripe.
Check my councilHow £599 compares
The service fee is one fixed amount. The council’s own fee and the penalty for getting it wrong are separate, and both can be far larger.
Getting it wrong
Operating without a required licence risks a civil penalty up to £40,000, plus a Rent Repayment Order of up to 24 months’ rent.
The council’s own fee: £492–£2,750
You pay this directly to the council whichever way you apply. We add no markup.
A solicitor or accountant
Usually charged by the hour, with no fixed total agreed up front.
Our done-for-you service: £599
One fixed fee. We complete and submit the whole application, and fix our own errors free.
Optional extras
- Measured floor plan — price on request (where the council requires a scaled plan).
- Fire risk assessment — price on request (where required for the licence).
Common questions about HMO licence costs
How much does an HMO licence cost?
An HMO licence has two parts: the council’s own statutory fee, which varies widely from council to council, and our done-for-you service at £599. The council fee is paid directly to the council with no markup.
Why do HMO licence fees vary so much between councils?
Each council sets its own HMO licence fee and fee structure — some charge a flat fee, others scale by the number of bedrooms or households. That is why the fee can differ by more than £1,000 between neighbouring councils.
Is the council fee included in your service fee?
No. Our £599 service fee covers completing and submitting your application. The council’s own fee is separate and is paid directly to the council — we add no markup.
See your council’s exact fee and our quote
Enter your postcode — it takes under a minute.
Start my application — £599Operating an unlicensed HMO risks a civil penalty of up to £40,000 per offence — so getting the licence right is worth it. Check your council →