HMO licensing in Durham

The published fee for a new HMO licence is £1,050, and £999 to renew. Fees can depend on the number of occupants or lettings, and they are reviewed each year.

Durham County Council charges HMO licence fees in two stages (as of 1 April 2026). For a new HMO licence (or on transfer of ownership) Stage 1 is £628, payable on application and covering processing and the property inspection; Stage 2 is £422, payable once the council is ready to grant the licence, and covers ongoing monitoring and enforcement — a total of £1,050. For a renewal of an existing licence, Stage 1 is £577 and Stage 2 is £422, a total of £999. Applicants may alternatively pay the full fee in one instalment at the point of application. The fee covers a licence lasting up to 5 years and is not scaled by occupant numbers in the published fee table. Separately, the council also runs a selective licensing scheme (not an HMO scheme) in designated areas, charging around £585 per property (or £435 for an existing licence holder applying for an additional property within 12 weeks of it becoming licensable) — this fee is distinct from the HMO fee above and does not apply to properties already licensed as mandatory HMOs, which are exempt from selective licensing.

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

Fees for council-designated schemes are set separately from the mandatory HMO fee. Figures are the standard full-rate fee for a new licence, before any discounts.

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.

• Standards are set jointly by Durham County Council, Darlington Borough Council and County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service, based on LACORS Housing Fire Safety Guidance (2008, revised 2009).
• 2-storey shared houses: Grade D LD3 smoke alarm system (interlinked mains-wired or wireless smoke alarms on the escape route at all floor levels, plus an interlinked heat detector in the kitchen, a smoke detector in the lounge, and a smoke detector in any cellar); FD30S fire doors with self-closers required only to kitchens/rooms containing kitchens.
• 3-storey shared houses (whether or not licensable): BS 5839 Grade A fire warning system in common areas plus a Grade D LD2 system throughout individual dwellings/bedsits/study bedrooms (interlinked smoke detectors in all living rooms and bedrooms, on all landings and in the entrance hall); FD30S fire doors to all risk rooms; interlinked heat detector in the kitchen.
• 3-storey bedsit-type HMOs: BS 5839 Grade A LD2 interlinked detection throughout the escape route and any cellar, plus either a non-interlinked Grade D smoke alarm in each bedsit (kitchen facilities within the bedsit) or full Grade A LD2 interlinked detection in each bedsit (shared kitchen facilities).
• 30-minute fire-resisting walls, ceilings and doors required on the protected escape route (60 minutes between an occupied basement/commercial premises and the floor above); walls/ceilings free of polystyrene tiles or heavy flock wallpaper.
• Escape windows (where used as primary or secondary escape) must have a minimum 0.33 m² openable area, minimum 450mm width and height; not acceptable above the first floor except in exceptional circumstances.
• Carbon monoxide detector required in any room containing a solid-fuel combustion appliance (e.g. coal fire, log burner).
• Emergency lighting required where the protected escape route lacks adequate natural or borrowed background lighting.
• Final exit doors must have mortice deadlocks operable without a key from the inside (e.g. thumb-turn locks); hasp-and-staple/padlock fastenings on bedroom doors are not permitted.
• Fire risk assessment required for common areas of all licensed HMOs (recommended for all other HMO areas), reviewed periodically and whenever the property changes.
• A Fire Precautions log book should record periodic inspection, testing and maintenance of the alarm/detection system, fire-fighting equipment and emergency lighting; systems must be checked if a property is vacant 4+ weeks before re-letting.

• Personal washing facilities: 1 bathroom/shower room with WHB per 1-5 persons, 2 per 6-10 persons, 3 per 11-15 persons (each occupancy should ideally have its own bath/shower where practicable); baths/showers must not be located in kitchens.
• Sanitary conveniences: 1 WC per 1-5 persons, 2 per 6-10 persons, 3 per 11-15 persons (each with its own WHB and continuous hot/cold water); external WCs do not count; shared WCs must be in a room separate from the bathroom/shower room.
• Kitchen equipment (1-5 persons): sink with draining board, 4-ring/hotplate cooker with grill and oven; 6-10 persons: 8-ring cooker with grill and double oven; 11-15 persons: three 4-ring cookers with two grills and three ovens. Microwaves do not count as a proper cooking appliance.
• Kitchen sink ratio: 1 sink per 5 persons or part thereof (a full-size dishwasher may substitute for a second sink for 6+ occupiers).
• Food storage: minimum 0.1 m³ refrigerator and 0.1 m³ dry-goods storage per individual occupancy; worktop of smooth, impervious material at least 2000mm x 500mm.
• Electrical sockets in shared kitchens (in addition to those for major appliances): 2 double sockets (1-5 persons), 3 double sockets (6-10 persons), 4 double sockets (11-15 persons); bedrooms require 2 double switched sockets, living/dining rooms 4 double switched sockets.
• Space heating: adequate affordable fixed heating (gas or electric) in all habitable rooms, sufficient to heat to 18°C when it is -1°C outside; portable/removable heaters are not acceptable as the main heat source.
• Natural lighting: clear glazing equivalent to at least 1/10th of a habitable room's floor area; natural ventilation openings equivalent to at least 1/20th of floor area (extractor fans alone are not acceptable ventilation for habitable rooms).
• 5-yearly Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) from an approved electrical contractor (NICEIC, ECA, BRE, BSI, ELECSA or NAPIT), confirming compliance with BS 7671:2008; copy must be sent to the council.
• Annual gas safety check by a Gas Safe registered engineer on all gas installations, with the inspection report sent to the council within 14 days of renewal.
• Refuse and recycling storage must be provided on a hard standing within the property curtilage, with written instructions to occupiers on presentation for collection.

• Gas safety certificate (CP12) — Annual Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1994 check by a Gas Safe registered engineer; inspection report to be sent to the council within 14 days of renewal.
• EICR — Electrical Installation Condition Report from an approved electrical contractor (NICEIC/ECA/BRE/BSI/ELECSA/NAPIT), renewed at least every 5 years, confirming compliance with BS 7671.
• EPC — Valid Energy Performance Certificate for the property.
• Fire safety documentation — Evidence that the property meets Durham County Council/County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service fire safety standards (detection system, fire doors, escape routes) appropriate to its number of storeys.
• Floor plans — Scale plans showing room layout and measured floor areas, used to check compliance with mandatory and local space standards.
• PAT testing records — Portable Appliance Test reports/EICR copies to be forwarded to the council within 14 days of renewal where requested.

• durham.gov.uk
• durham.gov.uk
• durham.gov.uk
• durham.gov.uk

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