West Midlands

HMO licensing in Newcastle-under-Lyme

Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council requires a mandatory licence for HMOs occupied by 5 or more people from 2 or more households. No additional or selective licensing scheme is currently in force in Newcastle-under-Lyme (checked September 2026). The published licence fee starts at £750 (£555 to renew).

Mandatory licence

5+ people, 2+ households

National scheme

Additional / selective

None in force

Mandatory licensing only

Licence fee

From £750

Renewal £555

Decision time

Not published

Check your property Get alerts for Newcastle-under-Lyme

Licensing schemes in Newcastle-under-Lyme

Newcastle-under-Lyme 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.

Licence fees

The published fee for a new HMO licence is £750, and £555 to renew. Fees can depend on the number of occupants or lettings, and they are reviewed each year.

Flat-plus-per-bedroom scaling fee published on the council's HMO 'Apply for a licence' and 'Renew a licence' pages. New licence: £750 for up to five bedrooms, plus £11 for each extra bedroom. Renewal: £555 for up to five bedrooms, plus £11 for each extra bedroom. totalGbp and renewalGbp are the base (up-to-five-bedroom) figures. Licences last five years. Single-payment fee: no application/grant split is published, so instalments is null. No landlord-accreditation discount is published on these pages. The pages carry no effective date or next-review date, so confirm the current fee with the council before quoting it in a customer-facing context.

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

Minimum room sizes

Single bedroom	Council-specific standard (HMO standards page 'Shared houses'): 10 m2 per one-person bedroom/study, reduced to 6.5 m2 where a separate living room is provided that is not a kitchen or kitchen/dining room. Bedsits (page 'Houses let as bedsits'): one-person one-room unit 13 m2 including kitchen facilities, or 10 m2 where a separate shared kitchen is provided. NATIONAL FALLBACK (Licensing and Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (Mandatory Conditions of Licences) (England) Regulations 2018, SI 2018/616): 6.51 m2 minimum for one person aged 10 or over in a licensed HMO. The council's standards page is an older CIEH-derived standard and does not itself restate 6.51 m2.
Double bedroom	Council-specific standard (shared houses): 15 m2 per two-person bedroom/study, reduced to 11 m2 where a separate living room is provided that is not a kitchen or kitchen/dining room. Bedsits: two-person one-room unit 20.5 m2 (not normally suitable for a married or cohabiting couple); in two-or-more-roomed units a bedroom is 10 m2 and a living/bedroom 14 m2. NATIONAL FALLBACK (SI 2018/616): 10.22 m2 minimum for two persons aged 10 or over in a licensed HMO.
Child under 10	No council-specific figure published on the HMO standards pages. NATIONAL FALLBACK (SI 2018/616): 4.64 m2 minimum for one child under 10; a room under 4.64 m2 must not be used as sleeping accommodation.

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

The council's 'Fire safety in all HMOs' page states all HMOs must have fire safety measures, whether or not they need a licence, and refers landlords to the Homestamp consortium guide; landlords may also need to meet the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. The council's own pages do not set out detailed detection, fire door or escape-route specifications.
Licence application and renewal require: design, installation and commissioning certificate(s) for the fire alarm system and/or a test certificate, an emergency lighting test certificate, and a service contract for alarm and fire systems.
HMO management regulations, as summarised by the council, require fire escapes to be kept clear and firefighting equipment and alarms to be maintained.
Council HMO standards (all types): all habitable rooms, kitchens, bathrooms, WCs, staircases, landings and passages must be adequately lit by electricity; staircases, landings and passages need natural light or adequate artificial lighting.

Kitchen, bathroom and amenity standards

Bathrooms (bedsits and shared houses): where not provided within each occupancy, shared bathrooms/shower rooms at 1 per 1-5 persons and 2 per 6-10 persons (bedsit standard also 3 per 11-15). Bath 1.67 m long; shower tray 800 x 800 mm. No bath/shower in a kitchen.
WCs: 1 per 1-5 persons and 2 per 6-10 persons (bedsit standard also 3 per 11-15); external WCs not reckonable; a shared WC must be in a room separate from the bathroom where provided at 1 per 5 or more persons; a wash hand basin with hot and cold water in each separate WC compartment.
Wash hand basin (560 x 430 mm) with hot and cold water in each bedroom/unit; in shared houses of up to five persons shared basins in each bathroom are accepted; for six or more persons a basin is required in each unit.
Shared house common rooms: kitchen floor area 7 m2 for 1-5 users, 10 m2 for 6-10, 13.5 m2 for 11-15, 16.5 m2 for 16; dining/kitchen 11.5 / 19.5 / 24 / 29 m2 respectively; living/dining room 11 / 19.5 / 24 / 29 m2 respectively.
Shared house kitchen equipment: one sink with drainer and hot/cold water per three occupants; for houses of up to five persons one cooker with four rings, grill and oven is sufficient (otherwise 2 rings plus grill/oven per occupant, or a full cooker per three occupants); worktop of sufficient size; each occupant needs a food store (a refrigerator counts; lockable if in the kitchen). Houses of six or more occupants must follow the council's 'category A' kitchen provision (not detailed on the page).
Bedsit kitchens: shared kitchens 3 m2 per person using the facility; sinks 1 per three one-person units; one cooking appliance per user, or one shared by no more than three one-person units.
Ceiling height 2.3 m minimum in habitable rooms, kitchens, bathrooms and WCs (attic rooms 2.3 m over at least half the floor area; existing underground rooms 2.14 m). Natural lighting: clear glazing at least 1/10 of floor area; openable ventilation at least 1/20 of floor area. Bathroom/WC windows obscure glazed.
Heating: fixed gas or electric space heating in all habitable rooms, capable of reaching 18.3 C (65 F) with -1 C outside; portable heaters not acceptable. Refuse containers on hardstanding, normally one bin per household.

Documents you will need

Gas safety certificate — Required with new and renewal applications.
Electrical safety certificate — Required with new and renewal applications; the council's management-regulation summary says gas and electrical certificates must come from a member of a competent person scheme.
Fire alarm design, installation and commissioning certificate(s) and/or test certificate — Listed as required for both new and renewal applications.
Emergency lighting test certificate — Listed as required for both new and renewal applications.
Service contract for alarm and fire systems — Listed as required for both new and renewal applications.
Portable appliance test (PAT) certificates — If applicable.
Building regulations completion certificate — If applicable.
Current tenancy agreements — Required with the application.

Sources

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