HMO licensing in Erewash

Erewash 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 £983.50, and £843.75 to renew. Fees can depend on the number of occupants or lettings, and they are reviewed each year.

Flat fee (does not scale with occupant or room numbers). New HMO licence £983.50; renewal ('re-license after 5 years') £843.75, per the council's Fees and Charges 2026-27 schedule (Housing Renewal section; 2025/26 figures were £894.00 and £767.00) and the council's 'Information About HMO Licences' page. Licences normally last up to 5 years. No accredited-landlord discount and no instalment/staged-payment arrangement is published on the council's HMO pages or fee schedule, so those are null/not stated. The fee schedule notes licensing fees (except statutory) are agreed by the Licensing and Public Protection Committee before referral to Council.

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

• Council standard (section 6.7) requires appropriate fire precautions of a type, number and location considered necessary; fire alarm design/installation/maintenance to BS 5839 Part 6; the LACORS Fire Safety Guide is the basis for the council's assessment of fire risk and specification of works.
• Fire containment and escape are considered alongside detection: FD30 fire-resisting doors with intumescent strips, cold smoke seals and self-closers; fire escape route; fire management (signage, evacuation procedures).
• Each kitchen must have a suitable fire door separating it from the rest of the house; kitchens must not be located in a hallway or on a landing (serious fire risk); hobs/ovens not adjacent to doorways.
• Fire blanket(s) to BS 6575 (light duty) in kitchens, wall-mounted at about 1.5 m and nearer the room exit than the cooking facility.
• Emergency lighting, where provided, maintained and tested to BS 5266 and BS EN 50172; fire alarm systems maintained/tested per BS 5839.
• Smoke alarm on every storey used as living accommodation and carbon monoxide alarm in any room used as living accommodation containing a fixed combustion appliance other than a gas cooker (Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015, as amended); alarms tested at start of each tenancy.
• Fire extinguishers, where provided, serviced annually (BS 5306-3). Furniture must comply with the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988.
• Communal-area electrical supply serving means of escape and smoke/fire detection/emergency lighting must be on a separate landlord supply; external entrance doors fitted with non-key-operated (thumb-turn) locks.
• Mandatory licence conditions stated by the council: fire detection system installed and functioning correctly; valid gas safety certificate renewed annually; electrical installation safe; electrical appliances and furniture safe; written tenancy statements for each occupier.

• Bathing/toilet/wash-basin ratios (Table 1): up to 5 sharing = 1 bath or shower, 1 toilet, 2 wash hand basins; 6 to 10 sharing = 2 baths/showers, 2 toilets, 2 basins; 11 to 15 sharing = 3 baths/showers, 3 toilets, 3 basins. Occupiers with exclusive en-suite/bathroom are excluded from the calculation. At least one WC must be in a separate compartment with a wash hand basin (or in an additional bathroom). Basins minimum 500 x 400 mm.
• Facilities ideally no more than one floor from living accommodation (some on ground floor acceptable where accommodation is on three floors; where four or more floors, bathrooms/WCs not more than one floor away). Every WC room must have a wash hand basin. Mechanical extraction: bathrooms 15 l/s (15 min overrun if no openable window); WC-only rooms without window 6 l/s.
• Shared kitchen (Table 2): no more than two floors from associated living/sleeping accommodation. Up to 4 sharing: 7 m², 1 cooker (min 4-ring hob, oven, grill), 1 sink/drainer, 1.75 m worktop, 2 double sockets, 4 storage units; 5 sharing: 7 m², 1 cooker, 1 sink, 2 m worktop, 3 double sockets; 6 sharing: 10 m², 2 cookers, 2 sinks (or 1 sink plus dishwasher), 2.25 m worktop; 7: 13 m², 2.5 m; 8: 16 m², 2.75 m; 9: 19 m², 3 cookers; 10: 22 m²; 11: 25 m²; 12: 28 m², 4 cookers. One fridge shelf and one freezer drawer per person. For 13 or more occupiers the council asks landlords to contact the Private Sector Housing Team. Microwaves/air fryers/tabletop ovens with integral rings are not accepted as the required cooking facilities.
• Kitchen extraction 30 l/s adjacent to hob, 60 l/s elsewhere; 30-litre refuse container per 4 occupants or part; impervious worktops with 300 mm splashback; waterproof non-slip floors.
• Bedsit-type units with sole-use kitchen (Table 3): single person 2-ring hob, grill and oven, sink with hot/cold water, 1 m worktop at 500 mm depth, under-counter fridge with freezer compartment; household 4-ring hob, grill and oven.
• Heating: fixed heating in every unit, kitchen and bathroom (portable, LPG and paraffin heaters not accepted); design temperatures at -1C outside: bedrooms 18C, reception rooms and dining-kitchens 21C, bathrooms 22C, hallways 19C. Gas systems need room thermostat, programmer and TRVs.
• Natural light: glazing at least 10% of floor area of habitable rooms; ventilation: openable area at least 5% (1/20th) of floor area.
• The council states the DASH standard is no longer adopted and its own standard (Final 1.0, August 2026, review August 2028) applies; it applies to shared houses and bedsit-type accommodation only.

• Gas safety certificate — Current annual Gas Safe certificate for every gas appliance, flue and fitting; the council lists a valid current gas safety certificate (renewed annually) as a condition of every licence and requires it to be displayed in the HMO.
• Electrical installation condition report (EICR) — Periodic inspection/test of the fixed installation to BS 7671 at least every five years (Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020); copy must be supplied to the council within 7 days of a request.
• Electrical appliance and furniture safety evidence — The council states licences require proof that electrical appliances supplied and furniture are kept in a safe condition (furniture to the 1988 Fire Safety Regulations).
• Fire detection/alarm system evidence — Proof that the fire detection system is installed and functioning correctly (BS 5839 Part 6 based); emergency lighting test records if fitted, and smoke/CO alarm provision.
• Written tenancy statements — Each occupier must have a written statement of the terms on which they occupy (e.g. tenancy agreement); a specimen tenancy agreement is commonly requested.
• Fit and proper person declaration and details of manager — Details of the proposed licence holder and any manager, including declarations on relevant convictions, housing-law breaches, discrimination findings and previous HMO management, as the council must assess fit and proper status. Membership of a recognised landlord body is advised.
• Application fee payment — £983.50 new licence / £843.75 renewal (2026/27) via the online HMO licence form (forms.erewash.gov.uk/HMOFORM). Note: the exact list of documents to upload on the online form could not be viewed without starting an application, so this checklist is derived from the council's published licence conditions and HMO standard.

• erewash.gov.uk
• erewash.gov.uk
• erewash.gov.uk
• erewash.gov.uk
• erewash.gov.uk

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