HMO licensing in Exeter

Exeter City 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 £1,071.20, and £1,071.20 to renew. Fees can depend on the number of occupants or lettings, and they are reviewed each year.

2025/2026 fee, paid in two parts: Part A (£298.70) accompanies the application form; Part B (£772.50, covering up to 5 bedrooms) is paid once the application is complete, plus £10.80 per bedroom for bedroom six and above. A £125 reduction applies to the Part B charge if the landlord is accredited under a nationally recognised accreditation scheme. The same fee schedule and page cover both new applications and renewals; no separate, lower renewal fee is published.

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

• Exeter City Council, with Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, has adopted the (former LACORS) national fire safety guidance for HMOs; fire precautions are assessed on a risk basis and the landlord is responsible for producing an individual fire risk assessment for each property.
• Kitchen facilities must not be located within a fire escape route (e.g. on a landing or under stairs) and must be separated from any escape route by a proper fire door (per the council's 'Standards in HMOs' guidance).

• Each letting should normally have its own kitchen facilities: 4-ring cooker with oven and grill (2-ring accepted for single-person lettings), sink and draining board with constant hot/cold water, at least 1 m of worktop (600 mm deep), 2 double 13-amp sockets over the worktop, adequate fridge and food storage.
• Where a shared kitchen is used instead of individual facilities (typical in 'shared-house' HMOs), a complete set of kitchen facilities is required for each 5 occupants (or part of 5); a shared kitchen must be at least 5.5 m² (11 m² where two sets of facilities are provided), and no more than 2 sets of facilities may be provided in one kitchen.
• For personal washing/WC facilities: for each 5 occupants (or part of 5) there must be a fixed bath or shower with constant hot/cold water, a wash-hand basin, and an internal WC; where there are more than 5 occupants and 2+ bathroom sets, at least one WC must be in a separate compartment.
• Fixed heating must be provided to every room, controllable by occupiers, capable of maintaining 21°C in living rooms and 18°C elsewhere when it is -1°C outside.
• Source: Exeter City Council 'Standards in HMOs' guidance document (amenity-standards-in-hmo.pdf), which also sets bespoke minimum room sizes for shared-house HMOs, bedsits and self-contained flats that differ from (and in several cases exceed) the statutory licence-condition minimums shown above.

• Gas safety certificate — Listed on the application page under 'Electrical, fire, furniture and gas safety information and certificates (as applicable)'; the page does not itemise individual certificate types beyond this general category.
• Electrical safety certificate (EICR) — Covered by the same 'electrical ... safety information and certificates' requirement on the application page.
• Fire safety information — Required as part of the 'fire ... safety information and certificates' category; supported by the individual fire risk assessment referenced on the Safety and standards page.
• Furniture safety information — Required as part of the 'furniture ... safety information and certificates' category on the application page.
• Building/floor plans — Building plans of the property are listed as a required item.
• Applicant, proposer, agent/manager and ownership details — The application requires details of the applicant, proposer (if applicable), agent or manager (if applicable), owners/interested parties, mortgagor, freeholder and leaseholder (as applicable), plus details of any other HMOs the applicant operates.

• exeter.gov.uk
• exeter.gov.uk
• exeter.gov.uk
• exeter.gov.uk
• exeter.gov.uk
• exeter.gov.uk

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