HMO licensing in Dartford

Dartford Borough 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 £905, and £695 to renew. Fees can depend on the number of occupants or lettings, and they are reviewed each year.

Dartford's own HMO licensing page states: 'A five year licence fee costs £905' (new/first licence) and 'A five year re-licence fee costs £695' (renewal), both labelled as 2025/26 fees. These are flat fees for a standard 5-year licence - the page does not state that the fee scales with the number of occupants, rooms or units, and does not mention any accredited-landlord discount or instalment plan. A separate 'HMO licence application - Guidance notes' PDF on the council's site shows a screenshot example with a 'Fee amount: £450.00' and references 'B&NES HMO Licensing' in its text, indicating that page was adapted from a Bath & North East Somerset Council template and was not fully re-branded for Dartford; that £450 figure is therefore treated as unreliable template content, not a genuine Dartford fee, and has not been used here.

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

• Most HMOs will require a mains-wired, interlinked fire detection system, and some will also need an emergency lighting system (Dartford Borough Council HMO page).
• Properties with common parts must have a Fire Risk Assessment carried out by a competent person, meeting the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005; guidance points applicants to Kent Fire & Rescue Service.
• The application guidance notes advise, as a minimum before a licence is granted, interlinked battery smoke detectors throughout common parts and interlinked heat detectors in shared kitchens and any bedsitting rooms with kitchen facilities; if this minimum standard is not met it can be made a licence condition, and a hard-wired system may ultimately be required since battery detectors alone are not considered acceptable long-term.
• Fire/smoke detection and emergency lighting systems less than 12 months old require design/installation/commissioning certificates; older systems require the most recent servicing/maintenance certification.

• Dartford's HMO page confirms all HMOs (licensable or not) must meet amenity standards, fire detection/prevention measures, and be free from Category 1 hazards, referencing a separate 'Guidance to HMO Amenity standards' document covering room sizes and kitchen/bathroom provision.
• IMPORTANT DATA CAVEAT: the PDF actually served from Dartford's own download link for that 'Guidance to HMO Amenity standards' document (https://www.dartford.gov.uk/downloads/download/916/guidance-to-hmo-amenity-standards) is branded 'Sevenoaks District Council' throughout, with Sevenoaks contact details - not a Dartford-authored document. This appears to be either a linking/upload error on Dartford's website or a shared/legacy Kent document, and could not be verified as reflecting Dartford's own bespoke kitchen/bathroom ratios. Rather than presenting Sevenoaks' figures as Dartford's own, specific numeric kitchen/bathroom/sink ratios have been left out of this file; only the general, Dartford-confirmed requirement that adequate kitchen and bathroom facilities must be provided is included.
• The Fit and Proper Person test (Housing Act 2004 s.66) applies to all proposed licence holders and managers; a signed Fit and Proper Person declaration must be submitted with every application, per Dartford's own application guidance.

• Gas safety certificate — Current, dated within the last 12 months.
• Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) — Satisfactory report dated within the last 5 years, completed by a competent person (e.g. NAPIT, ELECSA, NICEIC contractor); must show fixed wiring tested/inspected, with evidence any defects have been resolved.
• Fire detection system certificate — Design/installation/commissioning certificate if under 12 months old, or most recent servicing/maintenance certificate if older.
• Emergency lighting certificate — Installation certificate if under 12 months old, or most recent servicing/maintenance certificate if older (where an emergency lighting system is required).
• Tenancy agreement — Copy of a current tenancy agreement.
• Proof of address — Proof of address of the applicant.
• Annotated floor plan — Showing room sizes and fire safety measures (detectors, fire blanket etc.).
• Fit and Proper Person declaration(s) — Signed declaration required for every proposed licence holder and manager, submitted with each application.
• Proof of fee payment — Confirmation of licence fee payment via the council's online payment system.

• dartford.gov.uk
• dartford.gov.uk
• dartford.gov.uk
• dartford.gov.uk
• dartford.moderngov.co.uk
• dartford.gov.uk

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