HMO licensing in Blaby

Blaby 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.

The published fee for a new HMO licence is £995, and £850 to renew. Fees can depend on the number of occupants or lettings, and they are reviewed each year.

Two-part fee, flat (not scaled by occupants). New licence: £645 application fee (non-refundable if refused/withdrawn) plus £350 monitoring fee payable once the licence is issued = £995 total over the 5-year licence. Renewal: £500 application + £350 monitoring = £850. Multiple-application reduction (not an accredited-landlord discount): where more than one application is made at the same time, subsequent new applications are £530 + £350 = £880 and subsequent renewals £405 + £350 = £755. An additional £175 fee applies if a property is found already operating as a licensable HMO. Source: council HMO page fee tables (page carries no explicit effective-date label). No accredited-landlord discount is published. Sub-totals checked: 645+350=995, 530+350=880, 500+350=850, 405+350=755.

Check the current fee on the council website (blaby.gov.uk) before you apply.

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.

• The council says all HMOs (not only licensed ones) must have a fire risk assessment and appropriate fire safety measures; it directs landlords to the Government's LACORS fire safety guidance (hosted on its HMO page) and to DASH, and says compliance with that guidance should in most cases satisfy the licensing requirement.
• Mandatory licence conditions (per council page) cover fire safety, gas safety, electrical safety, maximum occupants/households, kitchen and bathroom amenities, and management standards including fit and proper person.
• DASH standard (adopted by the council): each kitchen must have a suitably sited fire blanket, adequate fire doors and fire detection; communal areas fitted with appropriate fire detection and fire precaution equipment.
• Application requires the fire risk assessment, latest fire alarm test certificate (depending on system), latest emergency lighting test certificate (if installed) and fire alarm/emergency lighting service contract (depending on system); the plan key requires marking fire doors, emergency lighting, smoke/heat detectors, alarm sounders, call points, fire blankets and extinguishers.
• Inspection: all licensed HMOs are inspected during the application and again roughly halfway through the 5-year term.

• Bathing/WC/basin ratios (DASH 2014, verified in table mode; values rise with occupancy): shared wash hand basins 1 (up to 4 occupants), 2 (5), 2 (6), 3 (7-9), 4 (10), 4 (11-12), 5 (13-15); shared WCs 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3 respectively; shared baths/showers 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3 respectively. At least one WC in its own compartment (or an additional bathroom); from 10 occupants at least two WCs in their own compartments. Occupants with an en-suite are excluded from the calculation. Every room with a WC needs a wash hand basin.
• Kitchens where occupants live as a cohesive group (shared house): oven, grill and 4-ring cooker and a sink/drainer with hot and cold water for every 5 occupants; standard fridge with freezer compartment for every 5 occupants; single wall unit food storage per occupant; worktop depth min 500 mm with 0.5 m per person for the first 3 occupants plus 0.25 m per additional occupant; at least 4 sockets over worktop per 5 occupants; 20-litre refuse container per group of 5 or part thereof; mechanical extraction per Building Regulations.
• Bedsit-type HMOs where occupants live separately: cooker and sink for every 3 occupants, fridge with freezer compartment per household, double wall unit per occupant. Households with exclusive kitchen: grill, oven and two hot rings (single person) or four (household), sink, 1 m worktop per person, 4 sockets.
• Shared kitchens should normally be no more than one floor from living accommodation; bathrooms/WCs no more than one floor away, adequately heated and ventilated (humidistat-controlled extraction advised); adequate fixed space heating required.
• The council states the DASH standards are a minimum guide that the council allows flexibility on (compensatory factors such as shape of usable space).

• Photo ID of proposed licence holder (and manager if different) — Current driving licence or passport (original documents only; photocopies not accepted).
• Proof of address for licence holder (and manager) — Driving licence, or bank/building society statement, utility bill or tax correspondence from the last three months; business-address evidence where relevant.
• Basic DBS certificate — Less than 6 months old, for licence holder AND manager if different (basic DBS costs £25 via gov.uk per the council's form).
• Gas safety certificate — Current Landlord's Gas Safety Record less than 12 months old (only if a gas supply is present).
• Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) — Carried out within the last 5 years, covering the whole fixed electrical wiring.
• PAT certificate — Covering all portable electrical appliances supplied to the tenants.
• Fire risk assessment — Copy of the fire risk assessment for the property.
• Fire alarm and emergency lighting test certificates and service contract — Latest fire alarm test certificate, latest emergency lighting test certificate (if installed) and service contract for the fire alarm/emergency lighting, depending on the system installed.
• Example tenancy agreement or terms of occupation — A sample of the tenancy agreement/terms of occupation used.
• Floor plans — Sketch plan of every floor with room measurements and marked fire doors, detectors, alarms, extinguishers, kitchens, WCs and baths (need not be to scale).
• Application fee — £645 application fee (renewal £500) with the application; £350 monitoring fee after the licence is issued. The council states an application will not be accepted until the application fee is paid, and all listed documents (except those not applicable) must be provided before the application can be accepted.

• blaby.gov.uk
• blaby.gov.uk
• blaby.gov.uk
• blaby.gov.uk
• blaby.gov.uk

Compiled from the council’s own published pages and documents; data reviewed September 2026. Rules and fees change, so always confirm with Blaby District Council before applying. This is general information, not legal advice.