HMO licensing in Buckinghamshire

Buckinghamshire 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 £1,050, and £1,050 to renew. Fees can depend on the number of occupants or lettings, and they are reviewed each year.

Fees are charged in two stages for a 5-bedroom HMO: a non-refundable £500 application fee payable when the application is submitted, and a further £550 licence fee payable before the licence is issued, giving a total of £1,050. Add £50 for each additional bedroom. This total applies to both new (proactive) applications and renewals. A discounted total of £998 applies to a 'proactive application from a landlord associated member' (the council's page does not define this term further, e.g. whether it requires landlord accreditation). Applications made following enforcement action cost £1,575 total.

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

• Electrically operated fire detection and alarm system, generally to BS 5839 Part 6 Grade A, Type LD1; detectors must be interlinked, mains-wired to a separately fused circuit with integral battery back-up, and audible at a minimum of 75dB at bed heads with intervening doors shut.
• 30-minute fire-resisting 'protected route' of escape: walls/partitions to habitable rooms must resist fire for at least 30 minutes, and doors opening onto the shared escape route (other than bathrooms/WCs with no fire risk) must be 30-minute fire doors fitted with intumescent strips, cold smoke seals and positive self-closing devices.
• Escape doors must be openable by a single action without a key (turn snibs, panic bolts/pads); key-in-box arrangements are not normally acceptable.
• Fire doors marked 'FIRE DOOR - KEEP SHUT'; fire-resisting cupboard doors marked 'KEEP LOCKED SHUT'.
• Emergency lighting to BS 5266 where required by the fire risk assessment, with a commissioning certificate from a competent person.
• A minimum 1.0 m glass-fibre fire blanket (BS 7944:1999 or equivalent) at every cooking facility location.

• Kitchens: one set of cooking/food-preparation facilities per 5 persons sharing; no kitchen may serve more than 2 sets of facilities. Guide kitchen sizes: 8.5 sq m for up to 5 persons, 12.5 sq m for 6-10 persons (living rooms 11 sq m and 15 sq m respectively where provided).
• Bathrooms/toilets scale with occupancy: 1-4 persons sharing = 1 bathroom (bath or shower + wash hand basin); 5-10 persons = as above plus 1 toilet with wash hand basin (may be in the bathroom or a separate compartment); 11-15 persons = 2 bathrooms and 2 toilets (at least one toilet in a separate compartment); larger HMOs scale further, up to 3 bathrooms/3 toilets.
• Minimum floor-to-ceiling height of 2140mm in habitable rooms, kitchens, bathrooms and WC compartments.
• Habitable rooms need natural lighting equivalent to at least 1/10th of floor area and ventilation (openable window) of at least 1/20th of floor area; kitchens/bathrooms/WCs need direct ventilation or equivalent mechanical extraction (1 air change/hour for kitchens).

• Gas Safety Certificate — Current Gas Safety Certificate, if the property has a gas supply/appliances.
• Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) — Current Electrical Inspection Report dated within the last 5 years.
• Fire alarm test/installation certificate — Current Fire Alarm Test/Installation Certificate, if a system is fitted.
• Emergency lighting certificate — Current Emergency Lighting Test/Installation Certificate, if fitted.
• Portable Appliance Test (PAT) certificate — If landlord-supplied electrical appliances are provided.
• Furniture and Furnishings Fire Safety declaration — Declaration of compliance with the relevant Furniture and Furnishings (Fire Safety) Regulations.
• Sketch floor plans — Scaled sketch plans of each floor of the HMO showing room use and dimensions.
• Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) — Valid EPC for the property, if applicable.
• Tenancy deposit scheme evidence — Proof that any tenancy deposits held are protected in a government-authorised scheme.
• Building Regulations completion certificate — If relevant conversion/building works have taken place.
• Proof of identity/address — For the applicant, proposed licence holder and proposed manager, as applicable.

• buckinghamshire.gov.uk
• buckinghamshire.gov.uk
• media.buckinghamshire.gov.uk
• buckinghamshire.gov.uk

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