HMO licensing in East Hampshire

East Hampshire 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. Fees can depend on the number of occupants or lettings, and they are reviewed each year.

Single application fee paid at submission, banded by number of occupants (council HMO page, checked September 2026): 0-5 occupants £600; 6-10 occupants £710; 11-15 occupants £820; 16-20 occupants £930; over 20 occupants £1,040 (the page labels the top band '20 plus'). The fee scales in £110 steps with occupancy. totalGbp shows the entry band (0-5 occupants). The council page does not publish a separate renewal fee (the application form only has a 'renewal of an existing licence' tick-box) so renewalGbp is null rather than assumed. No landlord-accreditation discount and no instalment option is published on the HMO page. Postal applications must include payment.

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

• Minimum: mains-wired smoke detectors in the escape route and any communal living room, and mains-wired heat detectors in all rooms containing cooking facilities, all interlinked to sound simultaneously; a higher-grade system may be required depending on size and risk. Fire detection systems must comply with BS 4839 Part 6 (as stated in the council standards).
• Fire doors are not likely to be required in one- or two-storey shared houses (depending on layout and risk) but are required in bedsit-type HMOs; doors must be of sound construction and hollow/flimsy panel doors are not acceptable.
• Locks on exit and bedroom doors must be openable from the inside without a key (thumb-turn or snib); hasp and staple, padlocks and sliding bolts are unacceptable on the outside of bedroom doors.
• Wall-mounted fire blanket (BS 7944:1999 or BS EN 1869:1997) in every room with cooking facilities, close to but not above or behind the cooker.
• Emergency escape lighting may be required on escape routes with changes of level, non-straightforward routes or no borrowed light (LACORS Table C5); must run for at least one hour.
• Where the landlord pays for a prepayment electricity meter, a separate supply is recommended for the fire detection system.
• A Fire Risk Assessment under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 must be carried out and the council may ask to see it during licensing.
• Carbon monoxide alarm recommended (mandatory for any solid-fuel appliance); Gas Safe certificate annually; electrical installation inspection at least every 5 years.

• Bathrooms/WCs (shared houses, joint or individual tenancies), by occupant count: 5 occupiers = 1 bathroom + 1 separate WC with wash hand basin (WC may be in a second bathroom); 6-10 = 2 bathrooms + 2 separate WCs with WHBs; 11-15 = 3 + 3; 16-20 = 4 + 4. Individual-tenancy shared houses also need a wash hand basin in each bedroom where reasonably practicable.
• No personal washing or toilet facility more than one floor distant from users in bedsit HMOs/hostels, or two floors in a shared house; a wash hand basin with hot and cold water is required for each toilet.
• Shared house kitchen: 1 four-ring cooker with oven and grill per 5 occupiers (a PAT-tested microwave extends to 7; two cookers for up to 10); 1 sink with drainer per 5 occupiers (2 sinks or sink + full-size dishwasher for 6-10); 1000mm x 600mm worktop per 5 occupiers; one standard fridge and one freezer per 5 occupiers; one 400mm wall unit (or equivalent) per occupier; at least 4 sockets adjacent to worktop; extractor fan venting outside.
• Bedsit with own facilities: cooker (2 rings and oven for a single person), sink and drainer, fridge with freezer compartment, at least 0.5m of worktop, adequate storage and at least 2 sockets above worktop; shared facilities on a ratio of 1 to 3 (fridges one per household).
• Heating: fixed controllable heating in every unit and communal areas, capable of 19 degrees C when outside is -1 degree C; each habitable room needs at least four sockets; one standard wheelie bin of each type per five occupants.

• Application form Sections A, B and C — Applicant/licence-holder details and declarations (A), other licensed HMOs held (B), and property-specific details (C: age, storeys, occupancy, amenities, fire precautions, ownership and mortgagee details). Can be submitted via GOV.UK or by email/post to Environmental Health, EHDC, PO Box 310, Petersfield GU32 9HN.
• Application fee — Paid at submission, banded by occupant number (0-5 £600; 6-10 £710; 11-15 £820; 16-20 £930; over 20 £1,040). Payment must be included with postal applications.
• Gas safety certificate — Current Landlord's Gas Safety Certificate (listed on Section C).
• Electrical installation report — Current periodic Electrical Installation Inspection Report (listed on Section C; council standards require inspection at least every 5 years).
• Fire alarm / emergency lighting test certificates — Any fire alarm or emergency lighting test certificates (listed on Section C).
• Management arrangements — Any details relating to management arrangements for the property (listed on Section C).
• Floor plan — Floor plan of the property; the council states it need not be to scale nor professionally drawn.
• Notices to relevant persons — Declaration that notice of the application has been served on mortgagee, owner/freeholder, long leaseholders, proposed licence holder/manager and anyone bound by licence conditions.

• easthants.gov.uk
• easthants.gov.uk
• easthants.gov.uk
• easthants.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 Hampshire District Council before applying. This is general information, not legal advice.