HMO licensing in East Devon

East Devon 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 £600, and £500 to renew. Fees can depend on the number of occupants or lettings, and they are reviewed each year.

Fees confirmed on East Devon's own 'Application fee' guidance page (part of the HMO Licensing application form guidance). New licence (or re-licence where there are material changes since the last licence): up to 5 occupants = £600, 6 or more occupants = £800. Re-licensing with no material changes: up to 5 occupants = £500, 6 or more occupants = £700 (the higher band reflects additional officer time to inspect larger properties). Additional charges: first reminder letter free, subsequent reminder letters £60 each, pre-application advice with inspection £150 per visit. The page states the fee 'may be varied following consultation with the Private Sector Housing Manager.' No accredited-landlord discount and no instalment option are mentioned anywhere in the council's guidance.

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

• Fire detection and alarm provision must be Grade A (control and indicating equipment with remote back-up power, usually a hallway panel), Grade D (240V mains-powered smoke alarms each with integral standby supply, single or interlinked), a combined Grade A & D system, or, only where accepted, stand-alone battery alarms.
• Properties with only battery-operated smoke alarms may be required to upgrade to Grade A or Grade D during the licence period following a Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) inspection.
• Applicants must mark the location of every smoke and heat detector on the property's scaled floor plan (S in a circle for smoke detectors, H in a circle for heat detectors) and sign the plan.
• Gas appliances require an annual safety inspection by a Gas Safe registered engineer under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998; the original certificate must be provided to the council.
• Electrical installations must be inspected by a competent person (an engineer recognised by the Institution of Engineering and Technology) and certified safe, with the certificate stating the date of next inspection.
• Portable electrical appliances supplied by the landlord (e.g. fridge, freezer, microwave, kettle, heater) must be PAT tested annually by a competent person unless under one year old.

• East Devon's published guidance (Section 4 of the HMO Licensing application form guidance) asks landlords to record the number of kitchens, shared kitchens, full-size sinks, bath/shower rooms, shared bath/shower rooms, and toilets with wash basins in the property, but the council has not published a standalone amenity-ratio or space standards document (e.g. bathrooms/kitchens per number of occupants) that could be located on eastdevon.gov.uk during this research.
• A toilet without a wash hand basin in the same room does not count towards the council's facility tally, implying wash facilities must be co-located with WCs.
• Kitchen-diners are counted as a single kitchen; large kitchens with duplicate facilities are still counted as one kitchen for licensing purposes.

• Gas safety certificate (CP12) — Original annual inspection certificate from a Gas Safe registered engineer, required if the property has any gas appliances (Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998). The council copies the original and returns it.
• Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) — Certificate from a competent (IET-recognised) electrician confirming the installation is safe, stating the date the next inspection is due.
• Portable Appliance Test (PAT) record — Required annually for any landlord-supplied portable electrical appliances (fridge, freezer, microwave, kettle, heater, etc.) unless the appliance is under one year old.
• Scaled floor plan of the property — Signed, to-scale plan showing every room; must also mark the location of smoke detectors (S in a circle) and heat detectors (H in a circle).
• Completed application form and declarations (Sections 1-5) — Proposed licence holder, owner, manager and property/management details, all signed; the checklist page asks applicants to confirm all sections and declarations are complete before submission.
• Correct application fee — Must be enclosed with the application; council states the licence is non-transferable so a new fee applies if the licence holder changes.
• DBS/CRB certificate (optional, if already held) — Not mandatory, but the council notes it cross-checks applicants with other local authorities and the Criminal Records Bureau, and suggests enclosing an existing CRB certificate (e.g. from safeguarding work) if you already have one.

• eastdevon.gov.uk
• eastdevon.gov.uk
• eastdevon.gov.uk
• eastdevon.gov.uk
• eastdevon.gov.uk
• eastdevon.gov.uk
• eastdevon.gov.uk
• eastdevon.gov.uk

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