HMO licensing in Lewes

Lewes 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 £1,140, and £799 to renew. Fees can depend on the number of occupants or lettings, and they are reviewed each year.

The same schedule applies to both Lewes District and Eastbourne Borough. For a 'Shared House' (unrelated sharers with own bedrooms, shared kitchen/bathroom - the category a 5+ occupant / 2+ household mandatory HMO normally falls into): NEW licence total £1,140 (5 persons), 1,158 (6), 1,176 (7), 1,194 (8), 1,213 (9), then £17.06 per additional person. RENEWAL £799 (5), 816 (6), 830 (7), 844 (8), 858 (9), then £14.85 per additional person. The new-licence fee can be paid in full or in two stages: pre-approval cost of processing the application (£760 at 5 persons, 772 at 6, 784 at 7, 796 at 8, 809 at 9) and fee to issue licence and compliance checks for the life of the 5-year licence (£380 at 5 persons, 386, 392, 398, 404). The headline totalGbp/renewalGbp/instalments below are the 5-person Shared House row. Bedsit HMOs are on a higher scale (new £1,283 for 2 bedsits rising to 1,573 for 6, +£72 each thereafter; renewal £917 to 1,150, +£58 each thereafter); hostels are size-banded (new £1,140 up to 10 persons to £2,943 for 81+; renewal £799 to 2,259). Fees are stated as flat-per-band scaling with occupants (not a single flat fee). No accredited-landlord discount is published in the fee schedule or on the HMO page.

Check the current fee on the council website (lewes-eastbourne.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.

• Appropriate fire precautions must be provided as the council considers necessary; recommendations should be drawn up by persons with appropriate fire experience and approved by the Fire Authority (East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service). The standard refers to DoE Circular 12/92 as the basis of assessment.
• All doors opening onto an escape route (other than some WCs/bathrooms without an ignition source or fire loading) must be FD30S fire doors.
• Shared houses: Category L2 fire detection and alarm system to BS 5839 Part 1 with electrically interconnected smoke detectors in every bedroom and common hallways and heat detectors in kitchens.
• Properties with cooking facilities in each unit (bedsit-style): L2 system with interconnected heat detectors in each unit and smoke detectors in common hallways, plus a stand-alone smoke alarm (BS 5446/5466 as stated) in each bedsit.
• Emergency lighting to be fitted throughout the property where appropriate; the licence holder must arrange annual inspection and servicing of the fire alarm and emergency lighting systems by a suitably qualified person and keep a test log (application guidance notes).
• Shared kitchen doors must be 30-minute fire doors (with cold smoke seals, intumescent strip and self-closing device); a fire blanket is required in kitchens (guidance notes: recommended unless the Fire Risk Assessment justifies otherwise) and suitable extinguishers in communal areas.
• A written Fire Risk Assessment under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 is required and a declaration of compliance is submitted with the application; upholstered furniture must comply with the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988.

• Washing/WC scale (Lewes Schedule of Amenity Standards): up to 4 persons - at least 1 bathroom and 1 WC (may be combined); 5 persons - 1 bathroom plus 1 separate WC with wash hand basin (WC may be in a second bathroom) and a wash hand basin in each sleeping room; 6-10 persons - 2 bathrooms plus 2 separate WCs with basins (one WC may be within a bathroom) and a basin in each sleeping room; 11-15 persons - 3 bathrooms plus 3 separate WCs with basins. Where 5+ occupiers share: one separate WC with basin per five sharers and one bathroom with fixed bath or shower per five sharers.
• Wash hand basin minimum 560mm x 430mm with splashback and constant hot and cold water; bath minimum 1700mm x 700mm or shower minimum 800mm x 800mm; bathrooms adequately heated and mechanically ventilated to Approved Document F; personal washing/WC facility not normally more than one floor from the unit.
• Shared kitchen (up to 5 persons): 1 sink with drainer, cooker with 4-ring hob and oven with grill on a 30A supply, 6 sockets (3 doubles) plus dedicated sockets for cooker, fridge and washing machine, worktop 500mm x 600mm per user up to 2.5 m (standard also states minimum worktop 600 x 1000mm for one household plus 500mm linear per additional person), food storage (500mm floor cupboard or 1000mm wall cupboard per person), fridge 0.15 m3 and freezer 0.11 m3 (or large combined fridge/freezer), refuse facilities, extractor fan, fire blanket and fire door. Above 5 persons: 1 sink per 4 occupiers or part thereof, cooking provision per 4 occupiers or part thereof, an additional double socket per two persons over 5, additional 500mm worktop and storage per user, and additional fridge/freezer capacity.
• Units with own kitchen facilities (bedsit type): sink with constant hot water, cooker with at least two rings, oven and grill, 4 sockets (2 doubles) plus cooker and fridge sockets, 600mm x 1000mm minimum worktop, food storage cupboard and refrigerator of at least 0.15 m3.
• Heating: standards state each unit must have fixed space heating capable of reaching and maintaining 21 degrees C when external temperature is -1 degrees C, controllable in each letting room and provided in all rooms including bathrooms and kitchens; note the application guidance notes quote a licence condition of whole-house heating capable of at least 18 degrees C at -1 degrees C and say electric convector heaters are not acceptable as main whole-house heating - the two documents differ and the applicant should confirm with the council.

• Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) — Full inspection report carried out within the last 5 years (uploaded with the application).
• Gas safety certificate — Issued within the last 12 months by a Gas Safe registered engineer; the application will not be accepted without it where gas is supplied. (The council's guidance notes cite 'BS5839' beside this item, which is the fire alarm standard - treat as a typo in the council's document.)
• Fire detection system test report — Test report relating to the fire detection system (guidance notes cite BS 5266 against this line although BS 5839 is the alarm standard; upload the current servicing/test certificate).
• Emergency lighting test report — Test report relating to the emergency lighting system, if required.
• Furniture safety declaration — Declaration that upholstered furniture complies with the 1988 Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations, if required.
• Fire risk assessment declaration — Declaration of compliance with the requirement for a fire safety risk assessment under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
• Portable appliance test (PAT) reports — Recent portable electrical equipment test reports for landlord-supplied appliances; appliances under 12 months old are exempt (keep receipts).
• Planning / building control permission — Certificates if required, and where the conversion/use as an HMO was subject to planning or building regulation approval.
• Floor plans — One page per floor showing address, date, room dimensions and uses, storey, smoke/heat detectors, call points and control panel, emergency lighting, WCs/baths/showers/basins/sinks, fire blanket in each kitchen, fire doors and escape windows.
• Additional signatures / other interested parties — All directors, secretaries, partners, trustees, persons bound by licence conditions, persons having control of the property and freeholders/leaseholders must be listed; additional-signatures form provided by the council.

• lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk
• lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk
• lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk
• lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk

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