HMO licensing in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 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 £1,511, and £1,391.50 to renew. Fees can depend on the number of occupants or lettings, and they are reviewed each year.

BCP operates a single mandatory HMO licensing fee schedule across the whole council area. New licence: £1,511, payable in two parts — £486.50 (Stage 1, on application) and £1,024.50 (Stage 2, once the notice of intention to grant a licence is issued). Renewal: £1,391.50, in two parts — £399 (Stage 1) and £992.50 (Stage 2). Where an HMO has more than 6 units, an extra £27.50 per unit is added at Stage 2. A 20% discount applies to application fees for landlords accredited through an approved scheme (e.g. NRLA, PRSAS); no discount applies where the licence follows enforcement of an unlicensed property. Licences last up to 5 years.

Check the current fee on the council website (bcpcouncil.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.

• For 1-2 storey shared houses (single tenancy, sharing kitchen/lounge/bathroom): 30-minute fire doors with intumescent strip, smoke seal, three fire hinges and self-closer to kitchen, lounge and dining room/risk rooms; bedroom doors either fitted with an escape window meeting Approved Document B or replaced with 30-minute fire doors; under-stair and meter cupboards fire-enclosed or emptied and locked shut.
• Mains-operated, interlinked smoke/heat detection to BS 5839 Part 6 Grade D1 as a minimum (heat detector in kitchen, smoke detectors in lounge, dining/risk room, and both ground and first floor hallways), with additional Grade F1 single-point smoke detectors required in all bedrooms where occupants are on separate tenancy agreements (recommended, not mandatory, for single joint-tenancy shared houses).
• A 1.2m x 1.2m fire blanket to BS EN 1869 must be provided in the kitchen, checked annually by the landlord and replaced if used or damaged.
• Escape windows/doors must meet Approved Document B (minimum 0.33 m² openable area, minimum 450mm height and width, opening no higher than 1100mm above floor level) and be openable without a key.
• A fire risk assessment under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 is required, and BCP publishes separate tiered guidance for 1-2 storey, 3-4 storey and bedsit (non-self-contained) HMO layouts.
• Fire detection must be tested per manufacturer's instructions with records kept.

• Bathroom/WC provision scales with occupancy: 1-4 sharers need at least 1 bathroom and 1 WC with wash-hand basin (may be combined); 5 sharers need 1 bathroom plus 1 separate WC; a distinct, slightly relaxed table applies to 'shared house' HMOs on a single joint tenancy (e.g. 6-8 sharers need 2 bathrooms and 2 WCs, which can be within the bathrooms) versus a stricter table for all other HMOs (6-10 sharers need 2 bathrooms and 2 separate WCs); further bathroom/WC is added for every 5 additional persons beyond 15-16, with at least 50% of WCs in a separate compartment at higher occupancies.
• Shared kitchens must scale with occupancy from a single sink/4-ring cooker/fridge-freezer for 3-4 sharers up to multiple sinks, cookers and fridge-freezers plus 300mm x 500mm worktop space per person for 8+ sharers, with specified minimum fridge (100 litre) and freezer (100 litre) capacities.
• Individual (self-contained) kitchen facilities require a suitable cooking appliance (2 rings/hob plus grill and oven for one person; 4-ring cooker with grill/oven for more than one person), a sink with constant hot and cold water, an 800mm x 600mm worktop, adequate sockets, storage cupboard and a refrigerator.
• All habitable rooms need natural lighting (glazing recommended at least one-tenth of floor area) and ventilation (openable window area at least one-twentieth of floor area, or mechanical ventilation where impractical).
• Adequate space heating must maintain 19°C when it is -1°C outside, controllable by occupants; portable paraffin/LPG heaters are prohibited.
• A mains cold water supply suitable for drinking must be provided to each occupant; storage tanks must not supply drinking water.
• Outdoor refuse/recycling bin storage must be provided in line with the local collection scheme.

• Scaled or proportionate floor plans — To scale or to proportion floor plans of the premises, required for a new application (renewals may not need this level of detail unless something has changed).
• Automatic Fire Detection (AFD) certificate — Current inspection and test certificate for the automatic fire detection system.
• Emergency Lighting certificate — Current inspection and test certificate for emergency lighting, where fitted.
• Gas Safety certificate (CP12) — Current gas safety inspection and test certificate, where the property has gas appliances.
• EICR — Current electrical installation inspection and test certificate.
• Fire Risk Assessment — Assessment of the property's fire precautions, prepared in accordance with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

• bcpcouncil.gov.uk
• bcpcouncil.gov.uk
• bcpcouncil.gov.uk
• bcpcouncil.gov.uk
• bcpcouncil.gov.uk
• bcpcouncil.gov.uk
• democracy.bcpcouncil.gov.uk
• democracy.bcpcouncil.gov.uk

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