East of England

HMO licensing in Great Yarmouth

Great Yarmouth Borough Council requires a mandatory licence for HMOs occupied by 5 or more people from 2 or more households. It also runs selective licensing in designated areas, covering privately rented homes that are not licensable HMOs. The published licence fee starts at £1,245 (£1,239 to renew).

Mandatory licence

5+ people, 2+ households

National scheme

Additional / selective

Selective

Council-designated schemes

Licence fee

From £1,245

Renewal £1,239

Decision time

Not published

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Licensing schemes in Great Yarmouth

In force

Selective licensing

Selective licensing is in force from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2031 for the whole of Nelson, Central and Northgate, and Southtown and Cobholm wards plus named streets in Yarmouth North ward (about 5,000 privately rented homes). The council allowed until the end of June 2026 to apply before enforcement action could begin.

In force from: 1 April 2026
Scheme ends: 31 March 2031

Council source

Verified 24 September 2026

Licence fees

The published fee for a new HMO licence is £1,245, and £1,239 to renew. Fees can depend on the number of occupants or lettings, and they are reviewed each year.

Mandatory HMO licence fee is split into two parts: Part A (£855) is paid on application and covers processing; Part B (£390) is payable once the licence is ready to be granted, after a pre-licensing inspection. An extra £40 is charged for each unit of accommodation beyond the standard 5 occupants/units. Renewal follows the same two-part structure but with a slightly lower Part A fee (£849 'Standard 5' + £390 mid-term administration/inspection). A separate Selective Licence (for privately rented homes in designated wards, not HMO-specific) costs £694 per self-contained unit for a 5-year licence, split into a non-refundable Part A (£200, on application) and Part B (£494, paid before the licence is issued); no instalment plan is offered for either scheme. Fees shown are 2026/27 rates, unchanged from 2025/26 for HMOs.

Check the current fee on the council website (great-yarmouth.gov.uk) before you apply.

Additional and selective licence fees

Fees for council-designated schemes are set separately from the mandatory HMO fee. Figures are the standard full-rate fee for a new licence, before any discounts.

Selective licence

£694

Selective licence, per self-contained unit, 5-year licence (runs to the end of the scheme, 31 March 2031), published fee, paid in two parts with no instalments (Part A £200 on application, non-refundable; Part B £494 paid before the licence is issued)

No accreditation or multi-property discount is published. The council states the Part B fee reduces monthly for applications made later in the scheme (Part A stays the same), but the fee for a late application is backdated to the date the property was first let or the scheme start, whichever is later. Applies to self-contained units; fully self-contained flats in converted buildings count as individual units.

Scheme: From 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2031

Checked 2 October 2026 against great-yarmouth.gov.uk

Minimum room sizes

Double bedroom	10.22 m² minimum floor area for one person aged over 10 (statutory national minimum under the Licensing and Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation and Other Houses (Miscellaneous Provisions) (England) Regulations 2006 / Housing (Space Standards for Licensed Houses in Multiple Occupation) Order — no Great Yarmouth-specific room-size standard was found published).
Single bedroom	6.51 m² minimum floor area for one person aged over 10 (statutory national minimum). Rooms under 4.64 m² cannot be used as sleeping accommodation at all.

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 safety requirements

Smoke detectors and a working fire alarm system appropriate to the size/layout of the property.
Fire extinguishers and fire blankets provided where required.
Fire escape signage and clear, unobstructed escape routes.
Furniture and furnishings supplied by the landlord must comply with the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988.

Kitchen, bathroom and amenity standards

Adequate kitchen facilities (cooking, food storage and washing-up facilities) proportionate to the number of occupants.
Adequate number of bathrooms/WCs proportionate to the number of occupants.
Property must be free from Category 1 hazards under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS).

Documents you will need

Gas safety certificate (CP12) — Current gas safety certificate for all gas appliances, where the property has a gas supply.
EICR — A full, in-date, standard Electrical Installation Condition Report.
EPC — Valid, in-date Energy Performance Certificate.
Fire safety equipment evidence — Evidence of smoke detectors, fire extinguishers/blankets and fire escape signage as applicable to the property.
Deposit protection evidence — Confirmation that any tenancy deposits are protected in a government-approved scheme.

Sources

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