East of England
HMO licensing in Babergh
Babergh District Council requires a mandatory licence for HMOs occupied by 5 or more people from 2 or more households. No additional or selective licensing scheme is currently in force in Babergh (checked September 2026). The published licence fee starts at £578.55.
Mandatory licence
5+ people, 2+ households
National scheme
Additional / selective
None in force
Mandatory licensing only
Licence fee
From £578.55
Decision time
Not published
Licensing schemes in Babergh
Babergh District Council operates the national mandatory scheme. We found no additional or selective licensing scheme in force or proposed as of September 2026. Councils can introduce one after a public consultation, so it is worth setting an alert.
Licence fees
The published fee for a new HMO licence is £578.55, and £578.55 to renew. Fees can depend on the number of occupants or lettings, and they are reviewed each year.
The council's HMO page and the current joint Babergh & Mid Suffolk HMO application form both state 'The licence fee is £578.55' (a single flat fee, not scaled by occupants or rooms). The 2025/26 Babergh Fees and Charges schedule lists the HMO licence at £567.53 (2024/25) rising to £578.88 (2025/26), described as a '5-year licence, based on officer hourly rate including travel'. The live website/form figure of £578.55 is used because it is the current published price; the 33p difference from the 2025/26 schedule is not explained in any source and no 2026/27 schedule was found. No separate renewal fee, accredited-landlord discount or instalment option is published, so renewalGbp mirrors the single published fee.
Check the current fee on the council website (babergh.gov.uk) before you apply.
Minimum room sizes
| Single bedroom | 6.51 m² minimum for one person over 10 where there is a separate living room (Suffolk Landlords' HMO Handbook, repeating the national minimum, SI 2018/616). Where there is no separate living room the handbook asks for 10 m² for one person; a bed-sitting room with cooking facilities needs 13 m² for one person. |
|---|---|
| Double bedroom | 10.22 m² minimum for two people over 10 with a separate living room (handbook; national minimum). Where there is no separate living room 15 m² for two persons; bed-sitting room with cooking facilities 18 m² for two. |
| Child under 10 | 4.64 m² minimum for one child under 10 (national minimum, SI 2018/616 - NATIONAL FALLBACK, not restated in the Suffolk handbook). Rooms under 4.64 m² cannot be used for sleeping. |
National minimums for licensed HMOs are 6.51 m² for one adult and 10.22 m² for two adults; councils can apply higher local standards.
Fire safety requirements
- Fire safety measures depend on the property's fire risk assessment; alarm systems to BS 5839-6:2019 (latest version).
- Shared house up to 2 storeys: Grade D1 Category LD2 automatic detection and alarm, fire blanket and dry powder extinguisher in the kitchen, 30-minute separation between basement and ground floor.
- Shared house 3-4 storeys: Grade D1 Category LD2 alarm; 30-minute fire-protected escape route (usually main staircase); 30-minute fire doors to all habitable rooms and the kitchen, self-closing with intumescent strips and smoke seals; letting-room and final exit doors openable without a key; fire blanket and dry powder extinguisher in kitchen. Bedsit-type and 5-6 storey scenarios have higher specifications in the handbook.
- Landlords must ensure a smoke alarm on each storey used as living accommodation and a CO alarm in any room with a fixed combustion appliance (Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015, as amended). Hard-wired CO detection to BS EN 50291 is required in rooms with gas/oil/solid-fuel appliances or flues.
- Fire risk assessment required; application form asks for a fire alarm test certificate (within 12 months), emergency lighting test certificate where installed, and fire-fighting equipment test certificate.
Kitchen, bathroom and amenity standards
- 1-5 persons: at least 1 kitchen (not more than 1 floor from the furthest bedroom, else a second kitchen or a dining room), 1 bathroom and 1 WC (separate WC required at 5 persons). 6-10 persons: 2 kitchens (or a large kitchen with two sets of facilities), 2 bathrooms and 2 separate WCs with wash basins (one WC may be inside a bathroom). Over 10: 3 bathrooms and 3 WCs.
- Kitchen minimum floor area 7 m² for 1-5 persons and 10 m² for 10 persons; each kitchen for up to 5 persons: 4-ring cooker with oven and grill, sink with drainer and hot/cold water, food storage cupboard per person, worktop, fridge/freezer shelf per person, and at least 2 double sockets above worktops.
- Shared living room 11 m² for 1-5 persons (13 m² if combined kitchen/dining), 14 m² for 6-10 persons (16.5 m² combined). Separate dining room 11 m² (1-5 persons) or 16.5 m² (6-10) required where there is no living room or a bedsit is more than one floor from the kitchen.
- Heating: main living room 21C and other rooms 18C at -1C external. Habitable rooms need an openable window/skylight with openable area of at least 5% of floor space; mechanical extraction ducted outside recommended for kitchens and bathrooms.
- Licensed HMOs must comply with the council's household waste storage/disposal scheme (condition since 1 Oct 2018).
Documents you will need
- Completed HMO licence application form — Joint Babergh & Mid Suffolk form (Word or PDF), emailed to the Private Sector Housing Team or posted to Endeavour House, Ipswich, with the fee.
- Plan of the property — Plan showing room sizes, layout and the location of amenities and fire safety equipment (need not be professional standard).
- Gas safety certificate — Most recent landlord gas safety certificate from a Gas Safe registered contractor, if there is a gas supply.
- Electrical installation condition report (EICR) — Latest periodic inspection report to BS 7671, not more than 5 years old.
- Fire alarm test certificate — Latest test certificate (not more than 12 months old), or installation certificate if installed within 12 months.
- Emergency lighting test certificate — Required if emergency lighting is installed (not more than 12 months old).
- PAT certificate — Portable appliance test certificate issued in the last 24 months for landlord-supplied appliances, or receipts if appliances are under 24 months old.
- Fire-fighting equipment / sprinkler test certificates — Latest test certificate for fire-fighting equipment, and for any sprinkler system.
- EPC — Latest Energy Performance Certificate, if applicable.
- Tenancy agreement — Copy of the tenancy agreement (or other written statement of terms) used.
- Planning and Building Regulations approvals — Where available.
Sources
Compiled from the council’s own published pages and documents; data reviewed September 2026. Rules and fees change, so always confirm with Babergh District Council before applying. This is general information, not legal advice.