Licensing fees for houses in multiple occupation (HMOs)
From 1 October 2018, all HMOs with five or more occupants need to have a licence.
Fee Structure for Applications for HMO Licence
The fee structure for both the National Mandatory and Lewisham Additional licence applications are the same.
The fees stated below are per lettable unit1.
| Discount Type | Part 12 fee element – processing and determination of application | Part 23 fee element – administration, management and enforcement of the scheme |
| Standard Fee | £250 | £250 |
| Early bird application4 | £250 | £150 |
| Accredited Landlord5 | £250 | £150 |
| Transfer from existing additional licence6 | £250 | - |
| Eligible Charity7 | £250 | - |
| Eligible Portfolio Landlord8 | £250 | On application |
| Very large HMOs (15+ lettable units) | £250 | On application |
Refund Policy
No refunds are provided if the application is refused for any reason or if the property reverts to a property that no longer needs a licence before the term of the existing licence is complete.
A partial refund may be provided if an application is withdrawn before a decision has been made, dependent on the costs incurred by the council.
- A room that could be occupied as living accommodation by a household or part of a household that does not form part of the common parts of the property.
- Payable on application for a licence.
- Payable before a licence is issued. The final licence will not be issued until the full fee has been paid.
- Early bird discounts are only available for the Lewisham Additional HMO scheme before the official scheme go live on 5 April 2022.
- An accredited landlord is someone who has completed a training course in best practice run by a recognised organisation such as the National Residential Landlords Association.
- See Application to transfer an existing additional licence issued under the previous scheme to the new additional licensing scheme section in Policy relating to the grant of full term licences
- ‘Eligible charity’ means Corporations, organisations or bodies which are charities, including almshouses, whose charitable objectives include the provision of housing (a) let at below market rent and (b) that is specially designed or adapted to meet the needs of the disabled, the elderly or the infirm or of other persons having a protected characteristic within the meaning of the Equality Act 2010.
- An ‘eligible portfolio landlord’ is a person or company applying for licenses on multiple properties at the same time. These properties must consist in total fifteen or more (15+) lettable units.
Other Charges
| Charge | Fees |
| Visit by us to inspect and/or draw floor plans that meet HMO licensing standards | £250 |
| Registering a change to the occupancy level | £275 |
| Completing an application on behalf an applicant | £50 |